BuzzFeed - Buzz Tagged "Bomb"https://www.buzzfeed.com
BuzzFeed, Find Your New Favorite ThingenCopyright 2017 BuzzFeed, Inc.Wed, 13 Dec 2017 21:47:29 -0500editor@buzzfeed.com (https://www.buzzfeed.com/about)info@buzzfeed.com (https://www.buzzfeed.com/about)BuzzFeedhttps://webappstatic.buzzfeed.com/static/images/public/rss/logo.pnghttps://www.buzzfeed.com
Massive Explosion Kills More Than 300 In Somalia's Capitalhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/talalansari/massive-explosion-kills-over-200-in-somalias-capital?utm_term=4ldqpia
More than 300 people died and about 300 others were injured when a truck bomb exploded on Saturday in a busy part of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.

Somalis gather and search for survivors at the scene of a blast.

Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP

The explosion is the single deadliest attack ever in the country, the Associated Press reported.

The massive blast, which occurred outside the Safari Hotel, not far from the country's foreign ministry, appears to have nearly leveled the hotel and badly damaged an entire city block. Photos from the aftermath show bodies strewn across the street while others show ordinary citizens rescuing those injured from the explosion.

More than 70 of the most critically injured people were airlifted to Turkey Monday for treatment.

A Somali gestures as he walks past a dead body.

Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP

Outside a Mogadishu hospital, victims and family members gathered, looking for their loved ones.

“There’s nothing I can say. We have lost everything,” said Zainab Sharif, crying as she sat outside of a local hospital, according to the AP. Doctors were unable to save her husband after an arterial injury.

The Somali government has blamed al-Shabab — an al-Qaeda–linked extremist group that has been waging an insurgency in the country since 2007 — for the explosion.

“They don’t care about the lives of Somali people, mothers, fathers, and children,” Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said. “They have targeted the most populated area in Mogadishu, killing only civilians.”

Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP

The country's president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, has called for three days of mourning and has asked residents to donate blood and money for those injured.

“The hospital is overwhelmed by both dead and wounded. We also received people whose limbs were cut away by the bomb. This is really horrendous, unlike any other time in the past,” said Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, the director of Medina hospital.

Somali children assist other civilians and security forces in their rescue efforts by carrying away unidentified charred human remains in a cardboard box.

Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP

The extremist group al-Shabab has yet to claim responsibility for the attack, which comes days before the Somali president was to meet the head of the US Africa Command, the AP reported.

Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP

This year, the US has increased the number of drone strikes against al-Shabab, which has been in a prolonged battle against the Somali military and African Union troops.

The United Nations special envoy to Somalia, Michael Keating, said the attack was "revolting." He added that the UN and the African Union were supporting the Somali government' with "logistical support, medical supplies, and expertise."

]]>Talal Ansarihttps://www.buzzfeed.com/talalansari/massive-explosion-kills-over-200-in-somalias-capitalSun, 15 Oct 2017 12:57:40 -0400Saturday's explosion, which also injured hundreds, is the single deadliest attack ever in the country.talalansarinonadult
<h1>More than 300 people died and about 300 others were injured when a truck bomb exploded on Saturday in a busy part of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu.</h1>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-10/15/10/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-01/sub-buzz-8398-1508079210-1.jpg?resize=625:367" width="625" height="367" alt="More than 300 people died and about 300 others were injured when a truck bomb exploded on Saturday in a busy part of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu." /></p>
<p>Somalis gather and search for survivors at the scene of a blast.</p>
<p><small>Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP</small></p>
<p>The explosion is the single deadliest attack ever in the country, the Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/deba8411c8984fd086d7a84c51dc86fa">reported</a>.</p><p>The massive blast, which occurred outside the Safari Hotel, not far from the country&#39;s foreign ministry, appears to have nearly leveled the hotel and badly damaged an entire city block. Photos from the aftermath show bodies strewn across the street while others show ordinary citizens rescuing those injured from the explosion.</p><p>More than 70 of the most critically injured people were airlifted to Turkey Monday for treatment.<br /></p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-10/15/10/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-03/sub-buzz-13515-1508079270-1.jpg?resize=625:392" width="625" height="392" alt="" /></p>
<p>A Somali gestures as he walks past a dead body.</p>
<p><small>Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP</small></p>
<p>Outside a Mogadishu hospital, victims and family members gathered, looking for their loved ones.<br /><br />&ldquo;There&rsquo;s nothing I can say. We have lost everything,&rdquo; said Zainab Sharif, crying as she sat outside of a local hospital, according to the AP. Doctors were unable to save her husband after an arterial injury.</p><p>The Somali government has blamed al-Shabab &mdash; an al-Qaeda<b>&ndash;</b>linked extremist group that has been waging an insurgency in the country since 2007 &mdash; for the explosion.</p>
<h1>“They don’t care about the lives of Somali people, mothers, fathers, and children,” Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said. “They have targeted the most populated area in Mogadishu, killing only civilians.”</h1>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-10/15/11/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-02/sub-buzz-24203-1508079940-4.jpg?resize=625:392" width="625" height="392" alt="“They don’t care about the lives of Somali people, mothers, fathers, and children,” Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire said. “They have targeted the most populated area in Mogadishu, killing only civilians.”" /></p>
<p><small>Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP</small></p>
<p>The country&#39;s president, Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, has called for three days of mourning and has asked residents to donate blood and money for those injured.</p>
<h1>“The hospital is overwhelmed by both dead and wounded. We also received people whose limbs were cut away by the bomb. This is really horrendous, unlike any other time in the past,” said Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, the director of Medina hospital.</h1>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-10/15/11/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-01/sub-buzz-8265-1508080260-2.jpg?resize=625:404" width="625" height="404" alt="“The hospital is overwhelmed by both dead and wounded. We also received people whose limbs were cut away by the bomb. This is really horrendous, unlike any other time in the past,” said Dr. Mohamed Yusuf, the director of Medina hospital." /></p>
<p>Somali children assist other civilians and security forces in their rescue efforts by carrying away unidentified charred human remains in a cardboard box.</p>
<p><small>Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP</small></p>
<h1>The extremist group al-Shabab has yet to claim responsibility for the attack, which comes days before the Somali president was to meet the head of the US Africa Command, the AP reported.</h1>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-10/15/11/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-02/sub-buzz-24203-1508080908-10.jpg?resize=625:398" width="625" height="398" alt="The extremist group al-Shabab has yet to claim responsibility for the attack, which comes days before the Somali president was to meet the head of the US Africa Command, the AP reported." /></p>
<p><small>Farah Abdi Warsameh / AP</small></p>
<p>This year, the US has increased the number of drone strikes against al-Shabab, which has been in a prolonged battle against the Somali military and African Union troops.<br /></p><p>The United Nations special envoy to Somalia, Michael Keating, said the attack was "revolting." He added that the UN and the African Union were supporting the Somali government&#39; with "logistical support, medical supplies, and expertise."<br /></p>
<p><small></small></p>
nonadultA Somali gestures as he walks past a dead body, left, and destroyed buildings at the scene of a blast in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017. A huge explosion from a truck bomb has killed at least 20 people in Somalia's capital, police said Saturday, as shaken residents called it the most powerful blast they'd heard in years. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)nonadultSomalis gather and search for survivors at the scene of a blast.nonadultA Somali gestures as he walks past a dead body.nonadultnonadultPowerful Explosion Detected In North Korea In Possible Nuclear Weapons Testhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/powerful-explosion-detected-in-north-korea-in-possible?utm_term=4ldqpia

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in an undated photo released by the North Korean government.

Kcna Kcna / Reuters

A powerful tremor — a suspected nuclear weapons test — was detected early Sunday in North Korea hours after the country's leadership claimed to have developed a hydrogen bomb.

The US Geological Survey recorded a 6.3 magnitude earthquake at a depth of 0.0 kilometers, a strong indicator the event was a nuclear test conducted by Kim Jong Un's military.

North Korea said it detonated a thermonuclear device Sunday, in its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date, and called it a "perfect success" of "unprecedented" strength.

Minutes after the tremor was detected, South Korea's government said it believed North Korea had conducted a nuclear test, Yonhap News Agency reported.

On Sunday, President Trump said "We'll see" when asked by a White House pool reporter if the US plans to attack North Korea.

"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test," he tweeted. "Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.......North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success. South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

After noon on Sunday, Trump again took to Twitter to say that he was meeting former general and current White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Secretary of Defense James Mattis to discuss North Korea's latest possible nuclear weapons test. Seven minutes later he tweeted that the US was considering various options, including ceasing commerce with countries that trade with North Korea.

Mattis made a brief statement on the White House lawn on Sunday afternoon, saying the US had "many military options" and that the president "wanted to be briefed on each one of them."

"We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attack, and our commitment among the allies are ironclad," Mattis said. "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies, will be met with a massive military response," he continued, adding that such a response would be "effective and overwhelming."

Mattis then urged Kim to follow the suggestions of the UN Security Council, "Because we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country ... but as I said, we have many options to do so," he said.

On Monday morning, South Korean media said Seoul's military believes North Korea is readying the launch of a ballistic missile. South Korea responded to the nuclear test with live-fire drills off its eastern coast Monday that were meant to simulate an attack on the North's main nuclear test site.

The North Korea's last nuclear test was nearly a year ago, on Sept. 8, 2016, prompting a rebuke from US then-president Barack Obama and the UN Security Council, as well as new UN sanctions on the country.

Sunday's 6.3 magnitude quake suggested that whatever weapon was tested was much more powerful than the device tested last year, which produced a 5.3 magnitude tremor.

The US State Department has not yet commented on the test. South Korea's presidential office said it will hold a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in and South Korea's military added it had strengthened its monitoring and readiness.

Japan also responded to the test in strong terms. "It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.

In China, where the public has grown increasingly frustrated with North Korea, tremors were felt in the northeast, raising fears of the nuclear test's impact on the environment. "We need to make clear to Pyongyang through various channels that its nuclear tests can never contaminate China's northeastern provinces," the state-run Global Times said in an editorial on Sunday. "China's strategic security and environmental safety is the bottom line for China in showing restraint."

Still, North Korea's economy is heavily dependent on neighboring China, which fears destabilizing the impoverished country. China's Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the test on Sunday, but it's unclear whether the government will now take stronger action against Pyongyang, including giving in to calls to cut off oil exports to the country, for instance.

The test comes after a ratcheting-up of tensions between the US and North Korea over the past several months.

After the North Korean government threatened the US in August, suggesting it was reviewing plans to attack Guam, Trump said North Korea would be met with "fire and fury like the world has never seen" if it continued to issue the threats.

Yet North Korea has continued to make aggressive military actions and tests, including firing a missile over Japan earlier this week.

Just hours after the quake was detected Sunday, North Korea's official news agency KCNA had reported North Korea had developed a new advanced hydrogen bomb, Reuters reported.

The agency reported the new H-bomb could be fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile, which experts believe would be able to reach the US.

Norway's NORSAR geoscience foundation estimated the size of the blast at 120 kilotons of TNT on Sunday, six times larger than last year's North Korean test and roughly the same amount larger than the 1945 atomic bomb explosions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed more than 225,000 people at the end of World War II.

Arms control expert seismologists reacted with dismay to the size of the blast over the weekend.

Determining what type of bomb produced the blast remains a matter of "sniffer plane" analysis in the next week, sampling eastward winds for nuclear isotope traces that provide a signature of its design.

A 120 kiloton blast remains in the range of atomic bombs, which rely on splitting atoms of uranium or plutonium, nuclear fission, for their power. Those can reportedly produce blasts as large as 500 kilotons. Hydrogen bombs, where most of the energy comes from nuclear fusion, more typically produce blasts in the 1 to 5 megaton range; the largest bomb ever, the Soviet Union's Tsar Bomba, created a 50 megaton blast in a 1961 test. An intermediate possibility is that the blast came from a "boosted" bomb where atomic bombs ignite brief fusion reactions in H-bomb fuel, adding to the power of the blast, but falling short of a genuine fusion bomb in effect.

Regardless, a blast the size of the North Korean test would create a blast radius roughly two-thirds of a mile across Seoul, according to a Stevens Institute of Technology nuclear blast calculator. That would be large enough to cause third-degree burns for everyone within 21.6 square miles of the city, which is home to 9.9 million people.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates and follow @BuzzFeedNews on Twitter.

]]>Salvador Hernandezhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/powerful-explosion-detected-in-north-korea-in-possibleSun, 03 Sep 2017 01:20:21 -0400Trump has responded to the news on Twitter, calling North Korea a "rogue nation" and a "great threat and embarrassment."salvadorhernandeznonadult
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-09/2/23/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-01/sub-buzz-31845-1504410568-3.jpg?resize=720:480" width="720" height="480" alt="" /></p>
<p>North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in an undated photo released by the North Korean government.</p>
<p><small>Kcna Kcna / Reuters</small></p>
<p>A powerful tremor &mdash; a suspected nuclear weapons test &mdash; was detected early Sunday in North Korea hours after the country&#39;s leadership claimed to have developed a hydrogen bomb.</p><p>The US Geological Survey recorded a 6.3 magnitude earthquake at a depth of 0.0 kilometers, a strong indicator the event was a nuclear test conducted by Kim Jong Un&#39;s military.</p><p>North Korea said it detonated a thermonuclear device Sunday, in its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date, and called it a "perfect success" of "unprecedented" strength.</p><p>Minutes after the tremor was detected, South Korea&#39;s government said it believed North Korea had conducted a nuclear test, Yonhap News Agency reported.</p>
<p>On Sunday, President Trump said "We&#39;ll see" when asked by a White House pool reporter if the US plans to attack North Korea.</p><p>Also on Sunday morning, Trump <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/904305644651634688">tweeted that North Korea</a> was a "rogue nation" and a "great threat and embarrassment."</p><p>"North Korea has conducted a major Nuclear Test," he tweeted. "Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.......North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success. South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing&#33;"</p>
<p>After noon on Sunday, Trump again <a href="https://twitter.com/realdonaldtrump/status/904375314830249984">took to Twitter</a> to say that he was meeting former general and current White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Secretary of Defense James Mattis to discuss North Korea&#39;s latest possible nuclear weapons test. Seven minutes later <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/904377075049656322">he tweeted</a> that the US was considering various options, including ceasing commerce with countries that trade with North Korea.</p>
<p>Mattis made a brief statement on the White House lawn on Sunday afternoon, saying the US had "many military options" and that the president "wanted to be briefed on each one of them."<br /><br />"We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies, South Korea and Japan, from any attack, and our commitment among the allies are ironclad," Mattis said. "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies, will be met with a massive military response," he continued, adding that such a response would be "effective and overwhelming."</p><p>Mattis then urged Kim to follow the suggestions of the UN Security Council, "Because we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country ... but as I said, we have many options to do so," he said.<br /></p>
<p>On Monday morning, South Korean media said Seoul&#39;s military believes North Korea is readying the launch of a ballistic missile. South Korea responded to the nuclear test with live-fire drills off its eastern coast Monday that were meant to simulate an attack on the North&#39;s main nuclear test site.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/earthquake-detected-near-north-korea-nuclear-test-site-could?utm_term=.coYQKWRWXR#.stPr8yByvB">North Korea&#39;s last</a> nuclear test was nearly a year ago, on Sept. 8, 2016, prompting a rebuke from US then-president Barack Obama and the UN Security Council, as well as new UN sanctions on the country.<br /></p><p>Sunday&#39;s 6.3 magnitude quake suggested that whatever weapon was tested was much more powerful than the device tested last year, which produced a 5.3 magnitude tremor.</p><p>The US State Department has not yet commented on the test. South Korea&#39;s presidential office said it will hold a National Security Council meeting chaired by President Moon Jae-in and South Korea&#39;s military added it had strengthened its monitoring and readiness.</p><p>Japan also responded to the test in strong terms. "It is absolutely unacceptable if North Korea did force another nuclear test, and we must protest strongly," Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said.</p><p>In China, where the public has grown increasingly frustrated with North Korea, tremors were felt in the northeast, raising fears of the nuclear test&#39;s impact on the environment. "We need to make clear to Pyongyang through various channels that its nuclear tests can never contaminate China&#39;s northeastern provinces," the state-run Global Times said in an editorial on Sunday. "China&#39;s strategic security and environmental safety is the bottom line for China in showing restraint."</p><p>Still, North Korea&#39;s economy is heavily dependent on neighboring China, which fears destabilizing the impoverished country. China&#39;s Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the test on Sunday, but it&#39;s unclear whether the government will now take stronger action against Pyongyang, including giving in to calls to cut off oil exports to the country, for instance.</p><p>The test comes after a ratcheting-up of tensions between the US and North Korea over the past several months.</p><p>After the North Korean government threatened the US in August, suggesting it was reviewing plans to attack Guam, Trump said North Korea would be met with "fire and fury like the world has never seen" if it continued to issue the threats.</p><p>Yet North Korea has continued to make aggressive military actions and tests, including firing a missile over Japan earlier this week.</p><p>Just hours after the quake was detected Sunday, North Korea&#39;s official news agency KCNA had reported North Korea had developed a new advanced hydrogen bomb, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-nuclear/north-korea-says-it-has-developed-advanced-hydrogen-bomb-as-trump-abe-discuss-escalating-crisis-idUSKCN1BD0VW">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>The agency reported the new H-bomb could be fitted onto an intercontinental ballistic missile, which experts believe would be able to reach the US.</p><p>Norway&#39;s NORSAR geoscience foundation <a href="https://www.norsar.no/press/latest-press-release/archive/large-nuclear-test-in-north-korea-on-3-september-2017-article1534-984.html">estimated</a> the size of the blast at 120 kilotons of TNT on Sunday, six times larger than last year&#39;s North Korean test and roughly the same amount larger than the 1945 atomic bomb explosions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed more than 225,000 people at the end of World War II.</p><p>Arms control expert seismologists reacted with dismay to the size of the blast over the weekend.</p>
<p><br /></p>
<p>Determining what type of bomb produced the blast remains a matter of <a href="https://twitter.com/ferencdv">"sniffer plane"</a> analysis in the next week, sampling eastward winds for nuclear isotope traces that provide a signature of its design.</p><p>A 120 kiloton blast remains in the range of atomic bombs, which rely on splitting atoms of uranium or plutonium, nuclear fission, for their power. Those can reportedly produce blasts as large as 500 kilotons. Hydrogen bombs, where most of the energy comes from nuclear fusion, more typically produce blasts in the 1 to 5 megaton range; the largest bomb ever, the Soviet Union&#39;s Tsar Bomba, created a 50 megaton blast in a 1961 test. An intermediate possibility is that the blast came from a "boosted" bomb where atomic bombs ignite brief fusion reactions in H-bomb fuel, adding to the power of the blast, but falling short of a genuine fusion bomb in effect.</p><p>Regardless, a blast the size of the North Korean test would create a blast radius roughly two-thirds of a mile <a href="http://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/?&amp;kt=120&amp;lat=37.566536&amp;lng=126.977969&amp;airburst=0&amp;hob_ft=0&amp;zm=13">across Seoul</a>, according to a Stevens Institute of Technology nuclear blast <a href="http://nuclearsecrecy.com/nukemap/">calculator</a>. That would be large enough to cause third-degree burns for everyone within 21.6 square miles of the city, which is home to 9.9 million people.</p><p><i>This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates and follow @BuzzFeedNews on Twitter.</i></p>
<p><small></small></p>
nonadultNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un in an undated photo released by the North Korean government.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultMore Than 60,000 People Are Evacuating A German City After A Massive World War II Bomb Was Foundhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/frankfurt-bomb-evac?utm_term=4ldqpia
It’s believed to be the largest bomb evacuation in Germany’s post-war history.

More than 60,000 people will have to evacuate Frankfurt, Germany, on Sunday so authorities can defuse a massive World War II bomb.

Boris Roessler / AFP / Getty Images

The British bomb, which contains 1.4 tons of explosives, according to police, was found on Tuesday on a construction site near Goethe University Frankfurt.

The situation is not currently dangerous, police have said, but the evacuation — the largest in Germany's postwar history — is being mandated as a precaution.

“Due to the large size of the bomb, extensive evacuation measures must be taken," Frankfurt police said in a statement.

The evacuation will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, with the bomb disposal happening later that day and taking about four hours.

A number of emergency spaces will be opened to the public to accommodate those in the affected area, which includes several retirement homes and a hospital.

Large-scale evacuations due to World War II bombs are a frequent occurrence in Germany. According to Hessenschau, it happens about once a year.

Stefan Puchner / AFP / Getty Images

Just last year, more than 54,000 people were evacuated from Augsburg on Christmas Day to allow authorities to defuse a bomb.

]]>Julia Reinsteinhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/frankfurt-bomb-evacFri, 01 Sep 2017 07:27:32 -0400It's believed to be the largest bomb evacuation in Germany's post-war history.juliareinsteinnonadultnonadultThe British bomb, which contains 1.4 tons of explosives, according to <a href="http://www.presseportal.de/blaulicht/pm/4970/3722494">police,</a> was found on Tuesday on a construction site near Goethe University Frankfurt.
The situation is not currently dangerous, police have said, but the evacuation — the largest in Germany's postwar history — is being mandated as a precaution.
“Due to the large size of the bomb, extensive evacuation measures must be taken," Frankfurt police said in a statement.
The evacuation will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, with the bomb disposal happening later that day and taking about four hours.
A number of emergency spaces will be opened to the public to accommodate those in the affected area, which includes several retirement homes and a hospital.nonadultnonadultJust last year, more than 54,000 people were evacuated from <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/a-german-city-was-evacuated-to-defuse-a-massive-world-war-ii?utm_term=.xeZbEpNG4e#.ymv3OaAzNj">Augsburg</a> on Christmas Day to allow authorities to defuse a bomb.
World War II bombs are also often found in the <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/rosebuchanan/hundreds-of-people-in-bath-have-been-evacuated-after-a-wwii?utm_term=.vgVxR9A8n2#.vbGDdGNrBM">UK,</a> <a href="http://en.rfi.fr/france/20141123-thousands-evacuated-after-wwii-bomb-found-french-city">France,</a> and <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/id/29079796/ns/world_news-asia_pacific/t/unexploded-bomb-found-southern-japan/">Japan.</a>nonadultA Man Has Been Charged With Trying To Blow Up To A Confederate Statuehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/a-man-has-been-charged-for-trying-to-blow-up-to-a?utm_term=4ldqpia

A man was charged on Monday with attempting to blow up a Confederate statue in Texas.

The man, Andrew Schneck, was spotted by a ranger kneeling in the bushes near a statue of Confederate Maj. Richard Dowling on Saturday evening at Houston's Hermann Park.

The ranger reported seeing Schneck with two small boxes, according to the Department of Justice, and ordered him to put them down. Schneck allegedly complied, but then took a swig from a plastic bottle and immediately spat a clear liquid out.

That's when the ranger noticed a timer and wires in the boxes, federal prosecutors say.

Authorities believe Schneck had shown up with the materials needed to make a "viable explosive device," and on Monday charged him for attempting to damage the statue. According to the court documents, a white powdery substance police found at the scene proved to be hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, which the Justice Department describes as "an initiating, or primary explosive."

The clear liquid, the Justice Department said, was actually nitroglycerin.

"Nitroglycerin is highly dangerous to transport or use," the Justice Department said in a statement. "In its undiluted form, it is one of the world's most powerful explosives."

Court documents also state that Schneck had conducted "chemistry experiments" at his home in Houston.

The case comes amid an intense, and sometimes violent, debate about Confederate monuments in the US. Less than two weeks ago, a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville was organized to oppose the removal of a statue depicting Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. A woman ultimately died at that rally when a man drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters.

Other monuments have since been removed by cities, universities, and even protesters. And multiple petitions have emerged calling for authorities to take down more Confederate monuments. Meanwhile, white supremacists and far right groups have mobilized to oppose the monuments' removal.

The statue of Dowling that Schneck is accused of trying to blow up was carved from white marble in 1905, according to the Hermann Park Conservancy. The Conservancy describes Dowling — who with a small group of men warded off an attempted Union invasion of Texas — as a "local Civil War soldier."

Schneck is facing federal charges because the statue is located in a park that received federal funding.

This is not the first time Schneck has faced charges related to explosives. In 2014, federal prosecutors charged him for storing explosive materials at a home in Houston. He eventually spent about two years on probation and had to pay a fine.

The penalty for trying to blow up a statue could potentially be much more severe. If convicted, Schneck now faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

]]>Jim Dalrymple IIhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/a-man-has-been-charged-for-trying-to-blow-up-to-aMon, 21 Aug 2017 17:32:26 -0400Police caught the man before he managed to do anything to the statue in Houston. But charging documents say he had nitroglycerin when officers found him.jimdalrympleiinonadult
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-08/21/16/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-01/sub-buzz-16984-1503346353-2.jpg?resize=720:480" width="720" height="480" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>City of Houston / Via <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.houstontx.gov/parks/artinparks/dickdowling.html">houstontx.gov</a></small></p>
<p>A man was charged on Monday with attempting to blow up a Confederate statue in Texas.</p><p>The man, Andrew Schneck, was spotted by a ranger kneeling in the bushes near a statue of Confederate Maj. Richard Dowling on Saturday evening at Houston&#39;s Hermann Park.<br /></p><p>The ranger reported seeing Schneck with two small boxes, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdtx/pr/houston-man-charged-attempting-damage-hermann-park-statue">according</a> to the Department of Justice, and ordered him to put them down. Schneck allegedly complied, but then took a swig from a plastic bottle and immediately spat a clear liquid out.</p><p>That&#39;s when the ranger noticed a timer and wires in the boxes, federal prosecutors say.</p><p>Authorities believe Schneck had shown up with the materials needed to make a "viable explosive device," and on Monday charged him for attempting to damage the statue. According to the court documents, a white powdery substance police found at the scene proved to be hexamethylene triperoxide diamine, which the Justice Department describes as "an initiating, or primary explosive."</p><p>The clear liquid, the Justice Department said, was actually nitroglycerin.<br /></p><p>"Nitroglycerin is highly dangerous to transport or use," the Justice Department said in a statement. "In its undiluted form, it is one of the world&#39;s most powerful explosives."</p><p>Court documents also state that Schneck had conducted "chemistry experiments" at his home in Houston.</p><p>The case comes amid an intense, and sometimes violent, debate about Confederate monuments in the US. Less than two weeks ago, a white supremacist <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/blakemontgomery/heres-what-really-happened-in-charlottesville?utm_term=.qnMBwNg87#.jcBJ9RbWx">rally in Charlottesville</a> was organized to oppose the removal of a statue depicting Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. A woman ultimately died at that rally when a man drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters.</p><p>Other monuments have since been removed by <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/coralewis/baltimore-took-down-its-confederate-monuments-overnight?utm_term=.xwPKkwj3E#.yu8yqrdle">cities</a>, <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/tasneemnashrulla/ut-austin-removes-four-confederate-statues?utm_term=.pdeyYQr5X#.keN2mKMQn">universities</a>, and even <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/watch-protesters-pull-confederate-statue-north-carolina/">protesters</a>. And multiple <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/stephenlaconte/theres-a-viral-online-petition-to-replace-a-confederate?utm_term=.cd8lyjkPm#.noy0zXJ8R">petitions</a> have <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/manatees-over-racist-participation-trophies?utm_term=.shGORB37d#.asxxkJ5Lw">emerged</a> calling for authorities to take down more Confederate monuments. Meanwhile, white supremacists and far right groups have mobilized to oppose the monuments&#39; removal.</p><p>The statue of Dowling that Schneck is accused of trying to blow up was carved from white marble in 1905, <a href="http://www.hermannpark.org/visit/interactive-map/">according</a> to the Hermann Park Conservancy. The Conservancy describes Dowling &mdash; who with a small group of men warded off an attempted Union invasion of Texas &mdash; as a "local Civil War soldier."</p><p>Schneck is facing federal charges because the statue is located in a park that received federal funding.</p><p>This is not the first time Schneck has faced charges related to explosives. In 2014, federal prosecutors charged him for storing explosive materials at a home in Houston. He eventually spent about two years on probation and had to pay a fine.</p><p>The penalty for trying to blow up a statue could potentially be much more severe. If convicted, Schneck now faces up to 40 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.</p>
<p><strong>LINK:</strong> <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/coralewis/baltimore-took-down-its-confederate-monuments-overnight?utm_term=.xwPKkwj3E#.yu8yqrdle" rel="nofollow">Baltimore Took Down Its Confederate Monuments Overnight</a></p>
<p><strong>LINK:</strong> <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/blakemontgomery/heres-what-really-happened-in-charlottesville?utm_term=.qnMBwNg87#.jcBJ9RbWx" rel="nofollow">Here’s What Really Happened In Charlottesville</a></p>
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<p><small></small></p>
nonadultnonadultnonadultStudent Faces Jail For Leaving Bomb On London Underground Trainhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/patricksmith/student-faces-jail-for-leaving-bomb-on-london-underground?utm_term=4ldqpia

Damon Smith, who was convicted of leaving a bomb on a train

Met police/PA Archive/PA Images

A university student has been found guilty of making a bomb using an al-Qaeda magazine and planting it on a London underground train.

Damon Smith, 20, from southeast London, left the device – which prosecutors said was packed with 153g of ball bearings and gunpowder – on the front carriage of a Jubilee line train on the morning of 20 October last year.

Smith placed a rucksack containing the bomb on the train and got off at London Bridge, having set a timer, the Old Bailey heard. Had the bomb gone off, it would have detonated as passengers got off the train at North Greenwich station. Instead, it failed to explode and was spotted by passengers who sounded the alarm at 11am.

There were at least 10 passengers in the carriage at the time, police said. Meanwhile, as the bomb was being discovered, Smith was casually making his way to university, police said.

The next day Smith was Tasered and tackled to the ground, metres away from the Holloway Road campus of London Metropolitan University, where he was a student. The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service's Counter-Terrorism Command.

He was convicted of making or possessing an explosive with intent to endanger life, contrary to the Explosive Substances Act 1883.

North Greenwich tube station, where Smith's bomb was discovered

/ PA Archive/PA Images

Smith admitted to perpetrating a bomb hoax and told the Old Bailey that he had only intended to scare people by creating a device that would emit smoke. His counsel argued that he did not understand the seriousness of his actions.

The court also heard that Smith has Asperger's syndrome, an autism spectrum condition, and also has a keen interest in guns and other weapons. Smith had also collated pictures of violent extremists, including the alleged mastermind of the 2015 terror attacks in Paris.

Police found a blank-firing pistol, a knife, a knuckleduster, and shredded copies of the al-Qaeda magazine showing instructions on how to make a bomb, which were reconstructed by a Met forensic scientist. Police also found a shopping list of ingredients he used to make the bomb on an iPad.

Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Counter-Terrorism Command, said: "Throughout this investigation and subsequent trial, Smith claimed that his actions were meant as a harmless prank and that the object was nothing more than a smoke bomb.

"It is hard to believe that leaving what has been described as an improvised explosive device on a tube train, on a weekday morning, can be construed as anything but an attempt to endanger life. It is fortunate that the device failed to work and that no one was injured.

"At a time when the threat level remains at severe, I find it unlikely that anyone would consider his defence as an appropriate excuse for his actions. The jury rightly disagreed with him and I expect that Smith will now face a significant prison sentence."

Sue Hemming, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Damon Smith’s actions were incredibly dangerous and the consequences had the device worked do not bear thinking about. Although he claimed this was a prank, the bomb he left on the train was clearly designed to cause horrific injuries.

"I would like to express my thanks to the quick-thinking members of the public and TfL staff for the way they dealt with this incident."

]]>Patrick Smithhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/patricksmith/student-faces-jail-for-leaving-bomb-on-london-undergroundWed, 03 May 2017 11:24:02 -0400Damon Smith, 20, was found guilty on Wednesday of building a bomb and planting it on a Jubilee line underground train in October last year.patricksmithnonadult
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-05/3/10/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-01/sub-buzz-20331-1493821187-6.jpg?resize=625:396" width="625" height="396" alt="" /></p>
<p>Damon Smith, who was convicted of leaving a bomb on a train</p>
<p><small>Met police/PA Archive/PA Images</small></p>
<p>A university student has been found guilty of making a bomb using an al-Qaeda magazine and planting it on a London underground train.</p><p>Damon Smith, 20, from southeast London, left the device &ndash; which prosecutors said was packed with 153g of ball bearings and gunpowder &ndash; on the front carriage of a Jubilee line train on the morning of 20 October last year.</p><p>Smith placed a rucksack containing the bomb on the train and got off at London Bridge, having set a timer, the Old Bailey heard. Had the bomb gone off, it would have detonated as passengers got off the train at North Greenwich station. Instead, it failed to explode and was spotted by passengers who sounded the alarm at 11am.</p><p>There were at least 10 passengers in the carriage at the time, police said. Meanwhile, as the bomb was being discovered, Smith was casually making his way to university, police said.</p><p>The next day Smith was Tasered and tackled to the ground, metres away from the Holloway Road campus of London Metropolitan University, where he was a student. The case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service&#39;s Counter-Terrorism Command.</p><p>He was convicted of making or possessing an explosive with intent to endanger life, contrary to the Explosive Substances Act 1883.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2017-05/3/10/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane-02/sub-buzz-18994-1493820021-13.jpg?resize=720:421" width="720" height="421" alt="" /></p>
<p>North Greenwich tube station, where Smith&#39;s bomb was discovered</p>
<p><small> / PA Archive/PA Images</small></p>
<p>Smith admitted to perpetrating a bomb hoax and told the Old Bailey that he had only intended to scare people by creating a device that would emit smoke. His counsel argued that he did not understand the seriousness of his actions.</p><p>The court also heard that Smith has Asperger&#39;s syndrome, an autism spectrum condition, and also has a keen interest in guns and other weapons. Smith had also collated pictures of violent extremists, including the alleged mastermind of the 2015 terror attacks in Paris.</p><p>Police found a blank-firing pistol, a knife, a knuckleduster, and shredded copies of the al-Qaeda magazine showing instructions on how to make a bomb, which were reconstructed by a Met forensic scientist. Police also found a shopping list of ingredients he used to make the bomb on an iPad.</p><p>Commander Dean Haydon, head of the Counter-Terrorism Command, said: "Throughout this investigation and subsequent trial, Smith claimed that his actions were meant as a harmless prank and that the object was nothing more than a smoke bomb.</p><p>"It is hard to believe that leaving what has been described as an improvised explosive device on a tube train, on a weekday morning, can be construed as anything but an attempt to endanger life. It is fortunate that the device failed to work and that no one was injured.</p><p>"At a time when the threat level remains at severe, I find it unlikely that anyone would consider his defence as an appropriate excuse for his actions. The jury rightly disagreed with him and I expect that Smith will now face a significant prison sentence."</p><p>Sue Hemming, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said: "Damon Smith&rsquo;s actions were incredibly dangerous and the consequences had the device worked do not bear thinking about. Although he claimed this was a prank, the bomb he left on the train was clearly designed to cause horrific injuries.</p><p>"I would like to express my thanks to the quick-thinking members of the public and TfL staff for the way they dealt with this incident."</p>
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nonadultDamon Smith, who was convicted of leaving a bomb on a trainnonadultMourners And Soccer Fans Unite After St. Petersburg Subway Attackhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/janelytvynenko/mourners-unite-after-st-petersburg?utm_term=4ldqpia
Drivers also co-ordinated free rides home after the metro shutdown gridlocked the Russian city on Monday.

The explosion occurred around the Technological Institute and Sennaya Ploshchad stations at about 3 p.m., according to multiple reports by Russian state media.

Later in the afternoon, the anti-terrorism committee said it had found and deactivated a second bomb that contained shrapnel at Vosstaniya Square station, another St. Petersburg subway stop, the Associated Press reported.

While the investigation went on, many expressed signs of solidarity with mourners and locals organized efforts to get those stranded without the metro home.

]]>Jane Lytvynenkohttps://www.buzzfeed.com/janelytvynenko/mourners-unite-after-st-petersburgMon, 03 Apr 2017 18:36:14 -0400Drivers also co-ordinated free rides home after the metro shutdown gridlocked the Russian city on Monday.janelytvynenkononadultAt least 11 people died after <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeednews/st-petersburg-metro?utm_term=.wkpw66J4k#.fsAqYYwng">an explosion on a subway train in St. Petersburg</a>, Russia, on Monday.
The explosion occurred around the Technological Institute and Sennaya Ploshchad stations at about 3 p.m., according to multiple reports by Russian state media.
Later in the afternoon, the anti-terrorism committee said it had found and deactivated a second bomb that contained shrapnel at Vosstaniya Square station, another St. Petersburg subway stop, the Associated Press reported.
While the investigation went on, many expressed signs of solidarity with mourners and locals organized efforts to get those stranded without the metro home.nonadultnonadult“Endless is the pain that tears the heart to pieces. Piter, we’re mourning,” the banner states. Piter is a common short form for St. Petersburg.nonadultnonadult"It's a tragic day.... Minute of silence to remember the victims in St. Petersburg."nonadult"Football Club 'Rostov' is expressing sympathies to the family and friends of those who died and got injured during the St. Petersburg explosion..."nonadultnonadultnonadultA screenshot from driving app Yandex Maps shows messages across the all saying the same thing: I will drive you. "Together, we're strong," one of the posts in support of the drivers read. "It's nice that there are so many people who care," says another.nonadult"Anyone who can't call Yandex Taxi, Uber, Taksovichkov: use the hashtag #домой on social networks. Using it, you can find a free car"nonadultThis post is offering free gas and has a list of all the locations where drivers can drop by.nonadult"Guys from St. Petersburg's city projects made a site that helps with getting home and a chat in Telegram."nonadultnonadultFlowers at metro station Sennaya Square in St. Petersburg were left in memory of those killed in the explosion.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadult"Sincerest condolences to all those who were touched by the tragedy in St. Petersburg."nonadultnonadultnonadultAn Organization Fighting Anti-Semitism Was Targeted With A Bomb Threathttps://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/the-anti-defamation-league-was-targeted-with-a-bomb-threat?utm_term=4ldqpia
“This is not the first time that ADL has been targeted, and it will not deter us in our efforts to combat anti-Semitism and hate against people of all races and religion,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.

Similarly on Monday, when White House Press secretary Sean Spicer addressed the bomb threats, he did not mention Jews.

“Hatred and hate-motivated violence of any kind have no place in a country founded on the promise of individual freedom,” Spicer said in a statement. “The president has made it abundantly clear that these actions are unacceptable.”

After widespread calls to denounce anti-Semitism, Trump did so on Tuesday, telling MSNBC’s Craig Melvin it’s “horrible and it’s going to stop.”

]]>Julia Reinsteinhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/the-anti-defamation-league-was-targeted-with-a-bomb-threatWed, 22 Feb 2017 13:43:15 -0500"This is not the first time that ADL has been targeted, and it will not deter us in our efforts to combat anti-Semitism and hate against people of all races and religion," ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said.juliareinsteinnonadultThe anonymous bomb threat targeted the group's national headquarters in New York.
Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of ADL, <a href="https://twitter.com/JGreenblattADL/status/834448036352909312">said</a> nothing indicated that it was more than a threat, but that they took it "very seriously."
Police <a href="http://www.adl.org/press-center/press-releases/adl-receives-anonymous-bomb-threat-national-headquarters.html#.WK3Tbm8rJhE?referrer=https://t.co/w1BSQJBMlU">investigated</a> and determined the threat was not credible.
"We are safe and still working to stand up against hate and for other Jewish organizations that also been targeted by these calls," Marji Sherman, the social media manager for ADL, told BuzzFeed News.
ADL will work with law enforcement to see if the bomb threat is linked to the <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/claudiakoerner/bomb-threats-target-11-jewish-community-centers-around-the-u">11 bomb threats</a> that targeted Jewish Community Centers this past weekend, Greenblatt said.
"This is not the first time that ADL has been targeted, and it will not deter us in our efforts to combat anti-Semitism and hate against people of all races and religion," he said.
The New York Police Department told BuzzFeed News they had no further information to share.nonadultnonadultAll were determined to be hoaxes.
The JCC has received a total of 69 bomb threats in the U.S. and Canada since the beginning of 2017, and an FBI investigation has been opened.
“While we are relieved that all such threats have proven to be hoaxes and that not a single person was harmed, we are concerned about the anti-Semitism behind these threats, and the repetition of threats intended to interfere with day-to-day life,” David Posner of the association said in a statement.nonadultNearly 200 headstones were toppled in the 124-year-old Chesed Shel Emeth Cemetery.
In a show of solidarity, Muslims <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/muslims-raised-over-74000-to-repair-a-vandalized-jewish-cemt?utm_term=.tarvdyLmx0#.cbVApzEk7Z">raised</a> over $74,000 to repair it.nonadultSimilarly on Monday, when White House Press secretary Sean Spicer addressed the bomb threats, he did not mention Jews.
“Hatred and hate-motivated violence of any kind have no place in a country founded on the promise of individual freedom,” Spicer said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/PeterAlexander/status/833812382174543873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">statement.</a> “The president has made it abundantly clear that these actions are unacceptable.”
After widespread calls to <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/tamerragriffin/trump-denounces-anti-semitism-after-a-spate-of-targeted-atta?utm_term=.tpaQPNLeEd#.cbVApzEk7Z">denounce anti-Semitism,</a> Trump did so on Tuesday, telling MSNBC’s Craig Melvin it’s “horrible and it’s going to stop.”nonadultA German City Was Evacuated To Defuse A Massive World War II Bomb On Christmashttps://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/a-german-city-was-evacuated-to-defuse-a-massive-world-war-ii?utm_term=4ldqpia
The aerial bomb, which was dropped by the British during World War II, was found last week during construction work.

More than 54,000 residents were evacuated from Augsburg, Germany, on Christmas in order to defuse a 1.8 ton bomb from World War II.

The aerial bomb, which the city said the British dropped during World War II, was found last week during construction work, CNN reported.

Police said the bomb did not present an immediate danger. They waited until Christmas Day to defuse it because there would be less traffic than usual, and thought many people might be able to stay with their relatives.

Residents were instructed to evacuate the area by 10 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 25 for nearby emergency shelters, with little information on when they would be able to return, ABC reported.

Stefan Puchner / AFP / Getty Images

The city announced the bomb's successful disarming, and the end of the evacuation, around 7 p.m. local time the same day.

]]>Julia Reinsteinhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/juliareinstein/a-german-city-was-evacuated-to-defuse-a-massive-world-war-iiMon, 26 Dec 2016 21:15:32 -0500The aerial bomb, which was dropped by the British during World War II, was found last week during construction work.juliareinsteinnonadultThe aerial bomb, which the city said the British dropped during World War II, was found last week during construction work, <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/25/europe/augsburg-germany-bomb-christmas/index.html?sr=twCNN122716augsburg-germany-bomb-christmas0100AMVODtopPhoto&amp;linkId=32774105"><i>CNN</i></a> reported.
Police said the bomb did not present an immediate danger. They waited until Christmas Day to defuse it because there would be less traffic than usual, and thought many people might be able to stay with their relatives.
Residents were instructed to evacuate the area by 10 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 25 for nearby emergency shelters, with little information on when they would be able to return, <i><a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/german-town-evacuates-christmas-morning-wwii-bomb-44390389">ABC</a></i> reported.nonadultThis isn't the first time an unexploded bomb has been found years after World War II — quite a few have been discovered in recent years, including in <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/rosebuchanan/hundreds-of-people-in-bath-have-been-evacuated-after-a-wwii?utm_term=.slDO8ge87W#.tt2vzZVzkw">the UK</a>, France, Japan, and many more in <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/05/germany-unexploded-bombs/484799/">Germany.</a>nonadult"Aerial bomb disarmed. These brave men are the true heroes of this historic day. From the heart: Thank you," he said.nonadultMilitia Men Arrested In Alleged Plot To Bomb Kansas Mosque After Electionhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/militia-men-arrested-in-alleged-plot-to-bomb-kansas-mosque?utm_term=4ldqpia

From left to right, Gavin Wright, Curtis Allen and Patrick Stein.

Sedgwick County Sheriff's via AP

Three members of a militia group in Kansas were arrested for allegedly planning to bomb an apartment complex and kill dozens of Muslim Somali immigrants the day after the presidential election, federal officials said Friday.

Calling themselves "The Crusaders," the three men wanted to detonate four parked vehicles filled with explosives outside the apartment complex in Garden City to "wake people up," said acting US Attorney Tom Beall.

"The only fucking way this country's ever going to get turned around is it will be a bloodbath and it will be a nasty, messy motherfucker," one of the suspects, Patrick Stein, was recorded telling the men, according to an affidavit in the case. "I think we can get it done. But it ain't going to be nothing nice about it."

Stein, Curtis Allen, and Gavin Wright planned for months to find a target, but the FBI began investigating the group in February to thwart what they referred to as an act of domestic terrorism, Beall said.

"These charges are based on eight months of investigation led by the FBI that is alleged to have taken investigators deep into a culture of hatred and violence," Beall said. "Many in Kansas may find it as startling as I have that such a thing can happen here."

The men considered attacking churches, homes, and apartment buildings frequented by Somali immigrants who have settled in the area, officials said, often referring to them as "cockroaches."

After deciding to target an apartment complex where Somali families lived, the group talked going through the plan, even if small children were killed in the plot.

"When we go on operation there's no leaving anyone behind, even if its a 1-year-old, I'm serious," Stein was allegedly recorded saying, according to the affidavit. "I guarantee if I go on a mission those little fuckers are going bye-bye."

During that time, Beall said, the men conducted surveillance, stockpiled weapons and ammunition, and canvassed the area for a target.

In the end, officials said the militia members decided to target an apartment building in Garden City where about 120 Muslim Somali immigrants lived, and where a mosque had been set up for worship, FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric K. Jackson said.

"They had the desire, the means, and the capabilities and were committed to carrying out this act of domestic terrorism," Jackson said.

The men also took the time to write a manifesto, which they planned to release after the attack.

"One of them said that the bombing would, quote, 'Wake people up,'" Beall said.

At some point during the investigation, officials said, they introduced a "confidential source" to the men, who showed them automatic weapons to use in the plot.

Stein, Beall said, also took the FBI source to the apartment complex they planned to attack.

The men wanted to wait to execute the attack so as to not affect the Nov. 8 election, Jackson added.

Officials said the men were linked with other militia and sovereign groups, which espouse anti-government, anti-immigrant, anti-muslim and strong gun-rights ideologies.

Jackson said there were no other known threats in the area, but FBI agents are continuing to investigate the men's ties to other groups.

On Saturday, Hillary Clinton released a statement on the men's arrest, calling their alleged plot "an affront to all Americans":

I applaud law enforcement for detecting and disrupting a highly disturbing terror plot in Kansas, in which men were allegedly planning an elaborate attack directed at Muslim Americans, including directing four car bombs at an apartment complex housing more than 100 men, women, and children. This plot is an affront to all Americans. We all must stand firm in fighting terror and rejecting hateful and divisive rhetoric — and we must do it together. According to the FBI, their eight-month investigation uncovered 'a hidden culture of hatred and violence.' We should all be grateful to law enforcement for preventing this plot from being carried out, and as President, I will work with law enforcement at all levels and with our communities to make sure we have the tools we need to prevent both domestic and international terrorist threats.

]]>Salvador Hernandezhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/militia-men-arrested-in-alleged-plot-to-bomb-kansas-mosqueFri, 14 Oct 2016 18:42:54 -0400Three men allegedly planned to bomb the mosque, located in an apartment complex, to "wake people up," officials said.salvadorhernandeznonadult
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-10/14/19/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane02/sub-buzz-30568-1476487125-1.jpg?resize=625:398" width="625" height="398" alt="" /></p>
<p>From left to right, Gavin Wright, Curtis Allen and Patrick Stein.</p>
<p><small>Sedgwick County Sheriff's via AP</small></p>
<p>Three members of a militia group in Kansas were arrested for allegedly planning to bomb an apartment complex and kill dozens of Muslim Somali immigrants the day after the presidential election, federal officials said Friday.</p><p>Calling themselves "The Crusaders," the three men wanted to detonate four parked vehicles filled with explosives outside the apartment complex in Garden City to "wake people up," said acting US Attorney Tom Beall.<br /></p><p>"The only fucking way this country&#39;s ever going to get turned around is it will be a bloodbath and it will be a nasty, messy motherfucker," one of the suspects, Patrick Stein, was recorded telling the men, according to an affidavit in the case. "I think we can get it done. But it ain&#39;t going to be nothing nice about it."</p><p>Stein, Curtis Allen, and Gavin Wright planned for months to find a target, but the FBI began investigating the group in February to thwart what they referred to as an act of domestic terrorism, Beall said.</p><p>"These charges are based on eight months of investigation led by the FBI that is alleged to have taken investigators deep into a culture of hatred and violence," Beall said. "Many in Kansas may find it as startling as I have that such a thing can happen here."</p><p>The men considered attacking churches, homes, and apartment buildings frequented by Somali immigrants who have settled in the area, officials said, often referring to them as "cockroaches."<br /></p><p>After deciding to target an apartment complex where Somali families lived, the group talked going through the plan, even if small children were killed in the plot.</p><p>"When we go on operation there&#39;s no leaving anyone behind, even if its a 1-year-old, I&#39;m serious," Stein was allegedly recorded saying, according to the affidavit. "I guarantee if I go on a mission those little fuckers are going bye-bye."</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-10/14/17/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane02/sub-buzz-27621-1476480111-14.png" width="622" height="339" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>KAKE / Via <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.kake.com/story/33392413/fbi-to-hold-wichita-news-conference-on-charges-in-major-investigation">kake.com</a></small></p>
<p>During that time, Beall said, the men conducted surveillance, stockpiled weapons and ammunition, and canvassed the area for a target.<br /></p><p>In the end, officials said the militia members decided to target an apartment building in Garden City where about 120 Muslim Somali immigrants lived, and where a mosque had been set up for worship, FBI Special Agent in Charge Eric K. Jackson said.</p><p>"They had the desire, the means, and the capabilities and were committed to carrying out this act of domestic terrorism," Jackson said.</p><p>The men also took the time to write a manifesto, which they planned to release after the attack.</p><p>"One of them said that the bombing would, quote, &#39;Wake people up,&#39;" Beall said.</p><p>At some point during the investigation, officials said, they introduced a "confidential source" to the men, who showed them automatic weapons to use in the plot.</p><p>Stein, Beall said, also took the FBI source to the apartment complex they planned to attack.</p><p>The men wanted to wait to execute the attack so as to not affect the Nov. 8 election, Jackson added.<br /></p><p>Officials said the men were linked with other militia and sovereign groups, which espouse anti-government, anti-immigrant, anti-muslim and strong gun-rights ideologies.</p><p>Jackson said there were no other known threats in the area, but FBI agents are continuing to investigate the men&#39;s ties to other groups.</p><p>On Saturday, Hillary Clinton released a statement on the men&#39;s arrest, calling their alleged plot "an affront to all Americans":</p>
<blockquote><p>I applaud law enforcement for detecting and disrupting a highly disturbing terror plot in Kansas, in which men were allegedly planning an elaborate attack directed at Muslim Americans, including directing four car bombs at an apartment complex housing more than 100 men, women, and children. This plot is an affront to all Americans. We all must stand firm in fighting terror and rejecting hateful and divisive rhetoric &mdash; and we must do it together. According to the FBI, their eight-month investigation uncovered &#39;a hidden culture of hatred and violence.&#39; We should all be grateful to law enforcement for preventing this plot from being carried out, and as President, I will work with law enforcement at all levels and with our communities to make sure we have the tools we need to prevent both domestic and international terrorist threats.</p></blockquote>
<p><small></small></p>
nonadultnonadultHurricane Matthew Unearths Civil War Era Cannonballs On Beachhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/civil-war-cannonballs?utm_term=4ldqpia
Most of the military ordnance were detonated after the tide receded.

The bomb squad was sent to Folly Beach, South Carolina, on Sunday after Hurricane Matthew unearthed an old Civil War ordnance, officials said.

The Charleston County Sheriff's Office said that the cannonballs were discovered by a resident Sunday, but the bomb team had to wait a day to get to the area because of the high tide, according to WTOC.

Beck noted it wasn't the first time, or probably last, that cannonballs would be found in the area, which was heavily involved in the Civil War. Folly Island was occupied by about 11,000 Union soldiers from 1863 to 1865. More than 125 years later, Hurricane Hugo caused erosion that uncovered numerous artifacts from their presence.

Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes during Hurricane Matthew and at least 22 deaths were blamed on the storm in the US.

]]>Michelle Broder Van Dykehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/civil-war-cannonballsMon, 10 Oct 2016 21:29:22 -0400Most of the military ordnance were detonated after the tide receded.mbvdnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultDespite their age, cannonballs can still be a serious hazard. In 2008, a man in Virginia <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/05/02/virginia-man-killed-in-civil-war-cannonball-blast.html">died while restoring a cannonball</a> that exploded.
Beck noted it wasn't the first time, or probably last, that cannonballs would be found in the area, which was heavily involved in the Civil War. Folly Island was occupied by about 11,000 Union soldiers from 1863 to 1865. More than 125 years later, Hurricane Hugo <a href="https://www.charlestonmuseum.org/news-events/the-folly-north-archaeological-projec/">caused</a> erosion that uncovered numerous artifacts from their presence.
Thousands of people were evacuated from their homes during Hurricane Matthew and at least <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeednews/hurricane-matthew-to-bring-life-threatening-wind-and-rain-to?utm_term=.hrgrew6eWx#.rtq8MxZMep">22 deaths</a> were blamed on the storm in the US.nonadultThe FBI Charged A Man Who Allegedly Wanted To Kill Obama And Burn A Mosquehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/talalansari/man-arrested-allegedly-wanted-to-kill-obama-and-burn-mosque?utm_term=4ldqpia

A mugshot of Joseph Gariguilo from 2015.

Holliston Police Department

A Boston-area man who said he allegedly wanted to kill President Obama, bomb police stations, kill Homeland Security officials, and burn down a mosque was arrested by FBI agents Friday.

FBI agents found parts for an AR-15 assault rifle, ammunition, magazines, and quantities of chemical material that “can be used to create explosives and incendiaries” at the home of Joseph Garguilo, 48, according to an affidavit filed in federal court.

Federal agents also said they found handwritten notes at Garguilo’s home “threatening violence against members of the Islamic religion,” according to the affidavit.

Garguilo, who lives in Holliston, a town 30 miles southwest of Boston, appeared in federal court on Monday and was charged with being a “prohibited person in possession of ammunition” — allegedly in violation of a restraining order placed on Garguilo by his ex-wife in June, according to charging documents.

In a press release on Monday, the US Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts said the charges, if found guilty, carry “a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000,” but added that “actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.”

According to court documents, the FBI received a tip on July 27 about Garguilo from a woman, identified as Witness 1 in the affidavit, who claimed she was worried about Garguilo because he was “stockpiling food water and other weapons, to include tasers, mace guns, hunting knives and thermite,” a chemical compound that can be used to make explosives.

Witness 1 told the FBI that Garguilo “hates gays, minorities, and the police” and that “he will plant bombs in police stations... and kill as many homeland security officers as he can before they kill him," according to court documents. She also said that Garguilo believes the “structure of America will collapse” and "enter a state of martial law.”

The Boston Globewrote that Witness 1 is Garguilo’s ex-wife, and has obtained restraining order against him on two occasions, in 2009 and again in June.

Garguilo's attorney, Mark R. Meehan, told reporters outside the federal courthouse that “there’s a long history of false allegations on behalf of the mother of his children,” insinuating that the allegations against Garguilo are related to “ongoing custody issues” involving the couple’s children.

Another individual, identified in the affidavit as Witness 2, claims to have been to Garguilo’s home recently and has seen a “partially assembled AR-15, crossbow and knives,” and stated that Garguilo wants “to attack a mosque and/or kill President Obama.” Specifically, it is alleged that Garguilo said he should have killed President Obama while on the golf course on a recent trip to Martha’s Vineyard.

Witness 2, who is described as a childhood friend, also recalled a conversation with Garguilo where he allegedly expressed a desire to "chain a mosque closed and burn it down" and "burn every motherfucker down in there.”

Witness 1 alleges that Garguilo has a history of drug use and might be using drugs again, while Witness 2 said they believed that Garguilo was using steroids because his muscle mass increased in a short period of time.

Garguilo is being held without bail and is expected to appear in court on Sept. 7.

]]>Talal Ansarihttps://www.buzzfeed.com/talalansari/man-arrested-allegedly-wanted-to-kill-obama-and-burn-mosqueWed, 31 Aug 2016 17:38:14 -0400The FBI arrested the Boston-area man allegedly hoarding weapons and materials that could make explosives. The FBI also said it found handwritten notes that threatened “violence against members of the Islamic religion.”talalansarinonadult
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-08/31/15/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane01/sub-buzz-12174-1472671648-5.jpg" width="480" height="640" alt="" /></p>
<p>A mugshot of Joseph Gariguilo from 2015.</p>
<p><small>Holliston Police Department</small></p>
<p>A Boston-area man who said he allegedly wanted to kill President Obama, bomb police stations, kill Homeland Security officials, and burn down a mosque was arrested by FBI agents Friday.</p><p>FBI agents found parts for an AR-15 assault rifle, ammunition, magazines, and quantities of chemical material that &ldquo;can be used to create explosives and incendiaries&rdquo; at the home of Joseph Garguilo, 48, according to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3037120-Agent-Sworn-Deposition.html">an affidavit</a> filed in federal court.<br /></p><p>Federal agents also said they found handwritten notes at Garguilo&rsquo;s home &ldquo;threatening violence against members of the Islamic religion,&rdquo; according to the affidavit.<br /></p><p>Garguilo, who lives in Holliston, a town 30 miles southwest of Boston, appeared in federal court on Monday and was charged with being a &ldquo;prohibited person in possession of ammunition&rdquo; &mdash; allegedly in violation of a restraining order placed on Garguilo by his ex-wife in June, according to <a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/3037122-Charge.html">charging documents</a>.</p><p>In a <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/holliston-man-charged-connection-weapons-trove">press release</a> on Monday, the US Attorney&rsquo;s Office in Massachusetts said the charges, if found guilty, carry &ldquo;a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000,&rdquo; but added that &ldquo;actual sentences for federal crimes are typically less than the maximum penalties.&rdquo;</p><p>According to court documents, the FBI received a tip on July 27 about Garguilo from a woman, identified as Witness 1 in the affidavit, who claimed she was worried about Garguilo because he was &ldquo;stockpiling food water and other weapons, to include tasers, mace guns, hunting knives and thermite,&rdquo; a chemical compound that can be used to make explosives.</p><p>Witness 1 told the FBI that Garguilo &ldquo;hates gays, minorities, and the police&rdquo; and that &ldquo;he will plant bombs in police stations... and kill as many homeland security officers as he can before they kill him," according to court documents. She also said that Garguilo believes the &ldquo;structure of America will collapse&rdquo; and "enter a state of martial law.&rdquo;</p><p>The <i>Boston Globe</i> <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/08/29/holliston-man-charged-with-stockpiling-weapons-threatening-burn-down-mosque/w4WM7vrvpuWiWaHT7NyeoM/story.html">wrote</a> that Witness 1 is Garguilo&rsquo;s ex-wife, and has obtained restraining order against him on two occasions, in 2009 and again in June.</p><p>Garguilo&#39;s attorney, Mark R. Meehan, <a href="https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2016/08/29/holliston-man-charged-with-stockpiling-weapons-threatening-burn-down-mosque/w4WM7vrvpuWiWaHT7NyeoM/story.html">told</a> reporters outside the federal courthouse that &ldquo;there&rsquo;s a long history of false allegations on behalf of the mother of his children,&rdquo; insinuating that the allegations against Garguilo are related to &ldquo;ongoing custody issues&rdquo; involving the couple&rsquo;s children.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-08/31/15/asset/buzzfeed-prod-fastlane03/sub-buzz-19927-1472671999-11.png" width="617" height="340" alt="" /></p>
<p>Garguilo&#39;s home in Holliston, Massachusetts.</p>
<p><small>WBZ-TV / Via <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://boston.cbslocal.com/2016/08/29/weapons-stockpile-holliston-man-arrested-threats-muslims-kill-president-obama-burn-mosque-fbi/">boston.cbslocal.com</a></small></p>
<p>Another individual, identified in the affidavit as Witness 2, claims to have been to Garguilo&rsquo;s home recently and has seen a &ldquo;partially assembled AR-15, crossbow and knives,&rdquo; and stated that Garguilo wants &ldquo;to attack a mosque and/or kill President Obama.&rdquo; Specifically, it is alleged that Garguilo said he should have killed President Obama while on the golf course on a recent trip to Martha&rsquo;s Vineyard.</p><p>Witness 2, who is described as a childhood friend, also recalled a conversation with Garguilo where he allegedly expressed a desire to "chain a mosque closed and burn it down" and "burn every motherfucker down in there.&rdquo;</p><p>Witness 1 alleges that Garguilo has a history of drug use and might be using drugs again, while Witness 2 said they believed that Garguilo was using steroids because his muscle mass increased in a short period of time.</p><p>Garguilo is being held without bail and is expected to appear in court on Sept. 7.</p>
<p><small></small></p>
nonadultnonadultIstanbul Airport Attackers Were Nationals Of Russia, Uzbekistan, And Kyrgyzstanhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/explosions-rock-airport-in-istanbul?utm_term=4ldqpia
At least 43 people were killed and about 239 others were wounded in what officials described as a terror attack. BuzzFeed News correspondent Borzou Daragahi is reporting from Istanbul.

Ambulances arrive at Istanbul Ataturk Airport Tuesday.

Osman Orsal / Reuters

Police carried out a series of raids on 16 locations early Thursday and detained at least 22 ISIS suspects, including three foreign nationals, according to a Turkish official.

The death toll of the attack increased to 43 on Thursday after a woman in her 20s, identified as Sondos Shraim, had succumbed to her injuries, according to the AP. The victim had been in Istanbul for Ramadan with her husband and 3-year-old son.

The death toll of the attack was initially 41 but had increased to 43 as of Thursday. The number killed excludes the three attackers.

The attack happened after 9 p.m. when three attackers arrived at the airport in a taxi. The attackers, armed with guns and suicide bombs, opened fire on travelers near the airport's entrance before detonating their vests, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said at a news conference.

Security forces responded to the assault, firing on the gunmen as they entered the terminal. The attackers then detonated suicide bombs while under fire from police, officials said.

A Turkish official told BuzzFeed News on Wednesday that the first attacker detonated a bomb at X-ray machines in the downstairs section of the airport.

During the chaos, the second attacker arrived in the terminal, walked upstairs to the departures area, and detonated explosives.

A third terrorist waited outside the building during the attack and detonated their bomb after the first two explosions.

Officials told BuzzFeed News 13 foreign nationals were among those killed in the attack. Authorities from Ukraine and Iran confirmed citizens from their countries were among the dead, according to multiple reports in Turkish media.

The assault appeared to be the work of the terrorist group ISIS, Yildirim said, though investigators Wednesday were still piecing together exactly what happened and a motive.

The death toll rose steadily in the hours after the attack, with the prime minister initially confirming 36 people and three suicide bombers had been killed. Yildirim said the wounded had been taken to area hospitals, some in critical condition.

Ambulances arrive at Istanbul Ataturk Airport Tuesday.

Osman Orsal / Reuters

"I would like to say all the civilians who lost their lives, may they rest in peace," Yildirim said. "We share the pain of their relatives and we wish a speedy recovery for the wounded."

Yildirim said that both foreign nationals and police officers were wounded in the attack, according to Turkey's official press office.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag told the Associated Press that "a terrorist at the international terminal entrance first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew himself up."

Images from the scene showed what appeared to be an assault rifle–type weapon lying on the floor of the airport.

Alireza, a 29-year-old from Tehran, told BuzzFeed News he was in a duty-free shop when "we heard first one explosion and then another."

"Everywhere there was panic and confusion, we had to rush out of the terminal," Alireza said. "There was blood and injured passengers everywhere. It was very scary. It was terrorism."

Paramedics attend to casualties injured Tuesday.

Stringer . / Reuters

Trice, 36, a businessman from Congo, told BuzzFeed News that panic broke out when the explosions went off.

“Everything was OK and then all of a sudden there was an explosion and everyone panicked and then there was another explosion and then everyone really panicked," he said. "We didn't know which way to go, because we were afraid there would be more explosions."

The Federal Aviation Administration grounded all U.S. flights departing for Istanbul, as well as all flights leaving Istanbul for the U.S., the agency told BuzzFeed News. The FAA began allowing flights again Tuesday night.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey also stepped up security at airports, adding "high visibility patrols equipped with tactical weapons and equipment at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports."

The Port Authority was also collaborating with law enforcement Tuesday evening to monitor the situation.

British Airways also cancelled three flights between London Heathrow and Istanbul Ataturk on Wednesday, citing "safety and security" fears.

On Wednesday morning, Yilidirim said that air traffic had returned to normal and that "our airport has been opened to flights and departures from 02:20 (local time) on."

Police guard the entrance to Ataturk Airport Tuesday.

Osman Orsal / Reuters

In a statement, the White House called Ataturk Airport "a symbol of international connections" and compared what happened in Istanbul to the attack in Brussels in March.

"We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey, our NATO Ally and partner, along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism," the White House said.

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton condemned the attack as well, saying in a statement that "all Americans stand united with the people of Turkey against this campaign of hatred and violence."

Donald Trump, the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party, said in a statement after the attack that "we must take steps now to protect America from terrorists."

"The terrorist threat has never been greater," Trump said. "Our enemies are brutal and ruthless and will do anything to murder those who do not bend to their will."

The entrance to Ataturk Airport shortly after Tuesday's attacks.

Stringer . / Reuters

People leave Ataturk airport following a terror attack late Tuesday.

Osman Orsal / Reuters

Ataturk airport is located about 11 miles from popular historic sites including the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. In 2015, Ataturk was the third busiest airport in Europe, after only Heathrow in London and Charles de Gaulle in Paris.

This is a developing story. Check back later and follow @BuzzFeedNews on Twitter for updates.

]]>Jim Dalrymple IIhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/explosions-rock-airport-in-istanbulTue, 28 Jun 2016 16:40:42 -0400At least 43 people were killed and about 239 others were wounded in what officials described as a terror attack. BuzzFeed News correspondent <a rel="nofollow" href="https://twitter.com/borzou">Borzou Daragahi</a> is reporting from Istanbul.jimdalrympleiinonadultAmbulances arrive at Istanbul Ataturk Airport Tuesday.nonadultPolice carried out a series of raids on 16 locations early Thursday and detained at least 22 ISIS suspects, including three foreign nationals, according to a Turkish official.
The death toll of the attack increased to 43 on Thursday after a woman in her 20s, identified as Sondos Shraim, had succumbed to her injuries, according to the <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/3c384f26a23541a980646a0ea3b9617b/latest-turkish-police-raids-seek-suspects">AP</a>. The victim had been in Istanbul for Ramadan with her husband and 3-year-old son.nonadultThe death toll of the attack was initially 41 but had increased to 43 as of Thursday. The number killed excludes the three attackers.
The attack happened after 9 p.m. when three attackers arrived at the airport in a taxi. The attackers, armed with guns and suicide bombs, opened fire on travelers near the airport's entrance before detonating their vests, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said at a news conference.
Security forces responded to the assault, firing on the gunmen as they entered the terminal. The attackers then detonated suicide bombs while under fire from police, officials said.
A Turkish official told BuzzFeed News on Wednesday that the first attacker detonated a bomb at X-ray machines in the downstairs section of the airport.
During the chaos, the second attacker arrived in the terminal, walked upstairs to the departures area, and detonated explosives.
A third terrorist waited outside the building during the attack and detonated their bomb after the first two explosions.
Officials told BuzzFeed News 13 foreign nationals were among those killed in the attack. Authorities from Ukraine and Iran confirmed citizens from their countries were among the dead, according to multiple reports in <a href="http://www.hurriyet.com.tr/">Turkish media.</a>nonadultnonadultThe assault appeared to be the work of the terrorist group ISIS, Yildirim said, though investigators Wednesday were still piecing together exactly what happened and a motive.
The death toll rose steadily in the hours after the attack, with the prime minister initially confirming 36 people and three suicide bombers had been killed. Yildirim said the wounded had been taken to area hospitals, some in critical condition.nonadultAmbulances arrive at Istanbul Ataturk Airport Tuesday.nonadult"I would like to say all the civilians who lost their lives, may they rest in peace," Yildirim said. "We share the pain of their relatives and we wish a speedy recovery for the wounded."
Yildirim said that both foreign nationals and police officers were wounded in the attack, <a href="https://twitter.com/trpressoffice/status/747947233417568256">according</a> to Turkey's official press office.
Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fdfd3610b87645e69ddaed7529dad8a3/2-explosions-rock-istanbul-airport-multiple-people-injured">told</a> the Associated Press that "a terrorist at the international terminal entrance first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew himself up."
Images from the scene showed what appeared to be an assault rifle–type weapon lying on the floor of the airport.nonadultnonadultAlireza, a 29-year-old from Tehran, told BuzzFeed News he was in a duty-free shop when "we heard first one explosion and then another."
"Everywhere there was panic and confusion, we had to rush out of the terminal," Alireza said. "There was blood and injured passengers everywhere. It was very scary. It was terrorism."nonadultParamedics attend to casualties injured Tuesday.nonadultTrice, 36, a businessman from Congo, told BuzzFeed News that panic broke out when the explosions went off.
“Everything was OK and then all of a sudden there was an explosion and everyone panicked and then there was another explosion and then everyone really panicked," he said. "We didn't know which way to go, because we were afraid there would be more explosions."
Paul Roos, 77, told <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-blast-idUSKCN0ZE2J1">Reuters</a> he saw one gunman "randomly shooting" in the terminal.
"He was just firing at anyone coming in front of him," Roos said. "He was wearing all black. His face was not masked."nonadultnonadultErdogan called the bombings "terrorist attacks" and said they were "done with no specific goal in mind but to create propaganda against our county using the blood and pain of innocent people."
"The fact that this is happening on the holy month of Ramadan shows us again that terror does not value anything, including faith, and does not discriminate between its victims," Erdogan added.
Erdogan said he expects "the world, especially the Western countries, to put a solid stance against" terror organizations.nonadultParamedics help people outside Turkey's Ataturk Airport Tuesday.nonadultIn his comments early Wednesday, Yildirim called for a "joint" response to global terrorism and for "every citizen to act in unity."
"Once more we see that terror is a threat against all humanity and all states," he said. "It’s a global incident."nonadultForensic experts work outside Ataturk Airport Tuesday night.nonadultnonadultParamedics help a man in a wheelchair at Ataturk Airport Tuesday.nonadultAn entrance of the Ataturk Airport in Istanbul after explosions Tuesday.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultThe U.S. Embassy in Istanbul <a href="https://twitter.com/USEmbassyTurkey/status/747891107103637504">encouraged</a> people to check in on social media Tuesday evening. After the explosions, Facebook activated its Safety Check feature for people in the area.nonadultnonadultThe Federal Aviation Administration grounded all U.S. flights departing for Istanbul, as well as all flights leaving Istanbul for the U.S., the agency told BuzzFeed News. The FAA began allowing flights again Tuesday night.
The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey also stepped up security at airports, adding "high visibility patrols equipped with tactical weapons and equipment at Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Liberty airports."
The Port Authority was also collaborating with law enforcement Tuesday evening to monitor the situation.
British Airways also cancelled three flights between London Heathrow and Istanbul Ataturk on Wednesday, citing "safety and security" fears.
On Wednesday morning, Yilidirim <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4f2da830f3dc423e92d07e89623bca52/suicide-blasts-kill-dozens-istanbul-airport">said</a> that air traffic had returned to normal and that "our airport has been opened to flights and departures from 02:20 (local time) on."nonadultPolice guard the entrance to Ataturk Airport Tuesday.nonadultIn a statement, the White House called Ataturk Airport "a symbol of international connections" and compared what happened in Istanbul to the attack in Brussels in March.
"We remain steadfast in our support for Turkey, our NATO Ally and partner, along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism," the White House said.
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton condemned the attack as well, saying in a statement that "all Americans stand united with the people of Turkey against this campaign of hatred and violence."
Donald Trump, the presumptive presidential nominee of the Republican Party, said in a <a href="https://www.donaldjtrump.com/press-releases/trump-campaign-statement-on-recent-istanbul-attack">statement</a> after the attack that "we must take steps now to protect America from terrorists."
"The terrorist threat has never been greater," Trump said. "Our enemies are brutal and ruthless and will do anything to murder those who do not bend to their will."nonadultThe entrance to Ataturk Airport shortly after Tuesday's attacks.nonadultnonadultPeople leave Ataturk airport following a terror attack late Tuesday.nonadultAtaturk airport is located about 11 miles from popular historic sites including the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque. In 2015, Ataturk was the <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-15/istanbul-ataturk-beats-frankfurt-to-climb-europe-s-airport-ranks">third busiest</a> airport in Europe, after only Heathrow in London and Charles de Gaulle in Paris.nonadult<i>This is a developing story. Check back later and follow @BuzzFeedNews on Twitter for updates.</i>nonadultnonadultMan In Hedgehog Onesie With Fake Bomb At TV Station Thought World Was Ending, Dad Sayshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/man-in-animal-costume-shot-by-police-after-making-bomb-threa?utm_term=4ldqpia

The man wearing a full animal costume and surgical mask walks out of a TV station in Baltimore.

Kenneth K. Lam / AP

The man in an animal onesie who was shot while threatening to blow up a Baltimore television station with a fake bomb believed the world was ending and wanted to get the message out, his father said.

Edward Brizzi of Elkridge, Maryland, told local media that his 25-year-old son, Alex, had a mental breakdown two weeks ago and claimed he had a vision from God that the world was ending.

Reuters

Alex was shot four times Thursday after not complying with police commands to take his hands out of his pockets as he walked out of the station for Fox affiliate WBFF-TV.

Officers and paramedics were not able to immediately reach Alex after the shooting because his hands remained in his pockets and police were unable to confirm whether he was actually carrying an explosive, police spokesman T.J. Smith said.

As a precaution, police deployed a robot often used by its bomb squad to approach and communicate with him.

The robot stripped Alex of the full-bodied hedgehog costume known as Kigurumi and what was described by police as a "floatation device-like" vest.

The bomb he claimed to have strapped to his chest later turned out to be foil-wrapped chocolate candy bars with wires hanging from them.

"When the robot was moving in, no one knew what the device was," Smith said.

Alex was listed in serious but stable condition at a local hospital and is expected to survive, his father said.

It was unfortunate officers had to use force, Smith said, but he noted that the situation at the time seemed to pose a real threat to the community and officers.

"Hindsight now being 20/20, we now know they were candy bars," he said. "They were forced to use their real guns to shoot the suspect."

A local videographer captured video of officers with helmets and bullet-proof vests surrounding Alex, picking him up, and carrying him toward what appeared to be an armored vehicle.

A security guard who works for Fox 45 told reporters he spoke with Alex for several minutes when he first walked into the station.

"He walked in, opened up his hedgehog outfit that he had on, and he pretty much said he had a bomb on him and he had a message that needed to be heard," the security guard said.

Alex then handed a flash drive to the security guard, which he said he opened on his computer to find several topics about astronomy.

"Whether it was black holes, the sun, about it being liquid and gas, and just saying that the government was wrong thinking the way they do when it comes to anything in space," the security guard said.

Around the same time, a vehicle believed to have been driven by Alex was reported to be on fire nearby, Smith said.

The bomb threat prompted the evacuation of the entire television station and the surrounding area.

]]>Salvador Hernandezhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/man-in-animal-costume-shot-by-police-after-making-bomb-threaThu, 28 Apr 2016 17:47:23 -0400The man entered a Fox affiliate with a fake bomb strapped to his chest under a full-bodied costume demanding to get his message out.salvadorhernandeznonadult
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-04/28/18/enhanced/webdr10/enhanced-mid-30309-1461882668-8.jpg" width="720" height="432" alt="" /></p>
<p>The man wearing a full animal costume and surgical mask walks out of a TV station in Baltimore.</p>
<p><small>Kenneth K. Lam / AP</small></p>
<p>The man in an animal onesie who was shot while threatening to blow up a Baltimore television station with a fake bomb believed the world was ending and wanted to get the message out, his father said.</p><p>Edward Brizzi of Elkridge, Maryland, <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ba19f473858a46c3a2f6e9572c58fb35/dad-man-shot-tv-station-thought-world-was-ending">told local media</a> that his 25-year-old son, Alex, had a mental breakdown two weeks ago and claimed he had a vision from God that the world was ending.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-04/28/16/enhanced/webdr10/longform-13939-1461876512-6.jpg" width="300" height="539" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>Reuters</small></p>
<p>Alex was shot four times Thursday after not complying with police commands to take his hands out of his pockets as he walked out of the station for Fox affiliate WBFF-TV.</p><p>Officers and paramedics were not able to immediately reach Alex after the shooting because his hands remained in his pockets and police were unable to confirm whether he was actually carrying an explosive, police spokesman T.J. Smith said.<br /></p><p>As a precaution, police deployed a robot often used by its bomb squad to approach and communicate with him.</p><p>The robot stripped Alex of the full-bodied hedgehog <a href="http://kigurumi-shop.com/hedgehog-kigurumi.aspx">costume known as Kigurumi</a> and what was described by police as a "floatation device-like" vest.</p><p>The bomb he claimed to have strapped to his chest later turned out to be foil-wrapped chocolate candy bars with wires hanging from them.<br /></p><p>"When the robot was moving in, no one knew what the device was," Smith said.</p><p>Alex was listed in serious but stable condition at a local hospital and is expected to survive, his father said.</p><p>It was unfortunate officers had to use force, Smith said, but he noted that the situation at the time seemed to pose a real threat to the community and officers.</p><p>"Hindsight now being 20/20, we now know they were candy bars," he said. "They were forced to use their real guns to shoot the suspect."</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-04/28/16/enhanced/webdr13/enhanced-mid-17154-1461873886-9.jpg" width="720" height="436" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>Bryan Woolston / Reuters</small></p>
<p><a href="https://www.periscope.tv/CaseyClarkjr/1MnGnWagrOMJO">Video shot by a witness on Periscope</a> showed the man walking out of the station and being followed by a group of heavily armed officers with shields before several shots ring out.<br /></p><p>A local videographer captured video of officers with helmets and bullet-proof vests surrounding Alex, picking him up, and carrying him toward what appeared to be an armored vehicle.</p><p>A security guard who works for Fox 45 <a href="http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2016/04/28/baltimore-tv-station-evacuation-after-bomb-threat/">told reporters</a> he spoke with Alex for several minutes when he first walked into the station.<br /></p>
<p>"He walked in, opened up his hedgehog outfit that he had on, and he pretty much said he had a bomb on him and he had a message that needed to be heard," the security guard said.</p><p>Alex then handed a flash drive to the security guard, which he said he opened on his computer to find several topics about astronomy.</p><p>"Whether it was black holes, the sun, about it being liquid and gas, and just saying that the government was wrong thinking the way they do when it comes to anything in space," the security guard said.</p>
<p>Around the same time, a vehicle believed to have been driven by Alex was reported to be on fire nearby, Smith said.</p><p>The bomb threat prompted the evacuation of the entire television station and the surrounding area.</p><p>"I don&#39;t have a rational explanation for irrational behavior," Police Commissioner Kevin Davis told reporters after the incident.</p>
<p><small></small></p>
nonadultnonadultnonadultThe man wearing a full animal costume and surgical mask walks out of a TV station in Baltimore.nonadultnonadultMan Arrested For Allegedly Threatening To Bomb A Trump Rallyhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/man-arrested-for-allegedly-threatening-trump-rally?utm_term=4ldqpia

Connecticut State Police

A man was arrested Saturday in Connecticut for allegedly posting threats on Twitter to detonate explosives at a local rally for Donald Trump, police said.

Sean Taylor Morkys, 20, was taken into custody at his home in Waterbury around 5 p.m. ET, Connecticut State Police said in a statement, roughly four hours after the Secret Service first noticed two threatening tweets he allegedly wrote.

"Is someone going to bomb the [Trump] rally or am I going to have to?" Morkys allegedly wrote of the rally the Republican contender held Saturday in Waterbury.

Officer said Morkys wrote a second tweet that warned his friends and family to leave the rally so they wouldn't be harmed.

Trump in Connecticut on Saturday.

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

He was found that afternoon at his home and interviewed, where the Secret Service determined he "did not pose an immediate threat to any protectees or the public," police said.

Morkys was charged with first-degree threatening for "inciting injury to person or property" and second-degree breach of peace.

He was released on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on May 4.

]]>David Mackhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/man-arrested-for-allegedly-threatening-trump-rallySun, 24 Apr 2016 14:02:58 -0400"Is someone going to bomb the Trump rally or am I going to have to?" the 20-year-old allegedly wrote on Twitter.davidmacknonadult
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-04/24/12/enhanced/webdr08/enhanced-mid-24663-1461516044-1.jpg" width="720" height="540" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>Connecticut State Police</small></p>
<p>A man was arrested Saturday in Connecticut for allegedly posting threats on Twitter to detonate explosives at a local rally for Donald Trump, police said.</p><p>Sean Taylor Morkys, 20, was taken into custody at his home in Waterbury around 5 p.m. ET, Connecticut State Police said in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/connecticutstatepolice/photos/a.1700561190173225.1073741831.1418207248408622/1771285969767413/?type=3&amp;permPage=1">statement</a>, roughly four hours after the Secret Service first noticed two threatening tweets he allegedly wrote.<br /></p><p>"Is someone going to bomb the [Trump] rally or am I going to have to?" Morkys allegedly wrote of the rally the Republican contender held Saturday in Waterbury.<br /></p><p>Officer said Morkys wrote a second tweet that warned his friends and family to leave the rally so they wouldn&#39;t be harmed.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2016-04/24/12/enhanced/webdr11/enhanced-mid-9068-1461516839-2.jpg" width="720" height="480" alt="" /></p>
<p>Trump in Connecticut on Saturday.</p>
<p><small>Spencer Platt / Getty Images</small></p>
<p>He was found that afternoon at his home and interviewed, where the Secret Service determined he "did not pose an immediate threat to any protectees or the public," police said.</p><p>Morkys was charged with first-degree threatening for "inciting injury to person or property" and second-degree breach of peace.</p><p>He was released on a $25,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on May 4.</p>
<p><small></small></p>
nonadultnonadultThis New Way Of Cooking Pizza Is Actually So Lithttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jemimaskelley/its-lit?utm_term=4ldqpia
Gimme a pizza that.

You know how pizza works, right?

Whack some toppings on a base, put it in the oven, then enjoy and slip into a food coma. Simple, right?

WELL. Look at this and prepare for your whole world view to shift.

It IS a pizza!!!!!

👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀

This pizza, lovingly titled "The Bomb" is from The Place restaurant in Seoul. The heat from the fire cooks the pizza toppings and makes the cheese perfectly gooey. It's served with ranch, honey, and hot salsa dipping sauces.

There's also a RED one filled with gorgonzola and cranberries.

I think it's safe to assume this pizza is... THE BOMB.

]]>Jemima Skelleyhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jemimaskelley/its-litWed, 13 Apr 2016 22:17:07 -0400Gimme a pizza that.jemimaskelleynonadultWhack some toppings on a base, put it in the oven, then enjoy and slip into a food coma. Simple, right?nonadult"What is this unidentified flaming ball?", I hear you ask. "Why are you showing me this? I thought we were looking at pizza?"
Please stick with me...nonadult👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀👀
This pizza, lovingly titled "The Bomb" is from The Place restaurant in Seoul. The heat from the fire cooks the pizza toppings and makes the cheese perfectly gooey. It's served with ranch, honey, and hot salsa dipping sauces.nonadultErmagerd.nonadultHeh heh heh.nonadult4 People Who Should Have Died But Survivedhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/alexchoi/4-people-who-should-have-died-but-survived?utm_term=4ldqpia
You can’t make this sh*t up.

]]>Alex Choihttps://www.buzzfeed.com/alexchoi/4-people-who-should-have-died-but-survivedFri, 01 Apr 2016 15:00:24 -0400You can't make this sh*t up.alexchoinonadultA Health Worker Describes The Horror Of Being Targeted By Bombs Inside Syriahttps://www.buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren/a-health-worker-describes-the-horror-of-being-targeted-by-bo?utm_term=4ldqpia
“The hospitals and the health workers are the first line of targets,” said Ahmad, a health worker for Médecins Sans Frontières who risks death each time he enters Syria.

Provided to BuzzFeed News

Ahmad Almohammad is no stranger to falling bombs. The 26-year-old works in hospitals in Syria with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, aka Doctors Without Borders) and has often been inside buildings that have come under attack. Like the time two years ago in Fafeen, just north of Aleppo, when the sound of an approaching helicopter warned him and his colleagues that they had just seconds to decide which way to run before the barrel bombs start dropping.

Almohammad described the horror of that day in a phone interview from Turkey, where he lives with his mother and siblings. "We all had to guess where the barrels from the helicopter would drop," he told BuzzFeed News. "All the staff and patients started to run, but we had no idea where to go. We could hear the noise above, we all thought the helicopter was directly over our head. It was all down to chance on whether we'd be hit. In those few seconds, it felt like my last moments."

Almohammad said he knew from past attacks that the helicopter would drop five barrels. One by one, a barrel dropped. After the fifth fell, they waited briefly before running back inside to see what and who had managed to survive. Little was left of the hospital.

"I know we are targets," Almohammad said. "I went into this knowing that I would be. The hospitals and the health workers are the first line of targets because we are trying to keep people alive."

The Maâarat Al Numan hospital before and after it was destroyed on Monday 15 February.

Provided to BuzzFeed News

The systematic targeting of medical facilities has been a constant feature of Syria's devastating civil war. In a report released by MSF last week, the charity said 63 MSF‐supported facilities were hit by aerial and shelling attacks in 2015, and in 12 cases, the attacks caused the total destruction of the facility. A total of 81 MSF‐supported medical staff were killed or wounded in the year. Women and children made up 30-40% of casualties recorded in its facilities in 2015, the charity said, proving civilian areas are consistently being hit.

Health charities on the ground have routinely described attacks on hospitals as war crimes and violations of international law that have become so commonplace they've become "normalised".

But Almohammad told BuzzFeed News that it is a series of attacks on MSF facilities since the beginning of the year in particular that has seriously shaken health workers. Last week, airstrikes killed 25 people at Marat Al Numan, an MSF-backed hospital in northern Syria. MSF has since called for an independent investigation into the strikes and said the attack was probably carried out by Syrian and Russian forces.

"Before, we were just very angry at the regime," Almohammad said. "Now my colleagues say that we are a very cheap target. In the media, we are just a mention, just another hospital targeted, and that's it. Nothing else. No one is moving to protect us – we have nobody to protect the health workers. If we ever leave Syria, we are escaping from our duties to help these people, and my duties towards my people."

Almohammad lives in Kilis, Turkey, but travels across the border into Syria five days a week with the MSF distribution team to provide donations of drugs and medical supplies to more than 15 hospitals and health centres. His team is also distributing essentials to the 100,000 people trapped behind the border with Turkey.

The camps, he says, are overcrowded, and he and his colleagues are now struggling to cope with three times the normal volume of patients. Almohammad says the need from civilians is overwhelming.

"What I can provide is out of my control," he said. "I know of an entire family killed by a rocket, and another family trapped under a damaged house for more than 20 hours. I'm used to seeing children with no arms or legs. It's normal to lose family members here. The children are used to seeing blood, beheaded men, bodies in the street. Women have told me that they sleep fully clothed so that if they were bombed during the night, they won't be unclothed.

"When I stand in front of them, without any power to help them, I know there's only so much I can do."

He is worried that the recent bombings of hospitals and civilians show there is little sign of attacks slowing down, and he's grown tired of watching the blame shift from one party to another with no one taking responsibility.

"On one hand, important people sit in big meetings and sometimes decide to give aid, or some other help," he said. "And on the other, they just bring arms and planes. Whoever wants to help the Syrian government, they can do it without any permission."

Amnesty International said warplanes have been deliberately targeting people trying to treat victims, and described the bombing of civilians and aid workers by Russian forces as some of the most "egregious" war crimes seen in decades.

Dr Joanne Liu, international president of MSF, has called for increased and unhindered delivery of aid and for the immediate evacuation of the wounded and sick.

"We say loud and clear: The doctor of your enemy is not your enemy," Liu said. "Today, Syria is a kill box. We are witness to a collective global failure. Attacks on health facilities and other civilian targets must stop, and be subject to independent investigations."

Facebook

Almohammad says he is going back into Syria in three days. His mother worries about him a lot, he says, so he calls her twice a day and lies to her by saying he's safe.

Beyond the immediate threat of airstrikes, there is, according to Almohammad, a much longer-lasting crisis unfolding in Syria: that of the mental wellbeing of people in the country, and especially of those working in hospitals constantly surrounded by death.

"What people don't realise is that the Syrian people – especially those I work with, the people in hospitals, the nurses and doctors – they're not well, psychologically," he said. "They do not see the danger as being danger now, because they've seen so many awful things, so many wounded people, so many dead people. They don't know that they're not well mentally.

"When they see dead people, they don't see anything any more, because this is all they've known for years. Yesterday somebody came into the hospital and said 13 people died in the village next to ours, and he said it without being sad. They are numb to people dying."

]]>Rossalyn Warrenhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/rossalynwarren/a-health-worker-describes-the-horror-of-being-targeted-by-boTue, 23 Feb 2016 09:55:21 -0500“The hospitals and the health workers are the first line of targets,” said Ahmad, a health worker for Médecins Sans Frontières who risks death each time he enters Syria.rossalynwarrennonadultnonadultAhmad Almohammad is no stranger to falling bombs. The 26-year-old works in hospitals in Syria with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, aka Doctors Without Borders) and has often been inside buildings that have come under attack. Like the time two years ago in Fafeen, just north of Aleppo, when the sound of an approaching helicopter warned him and his colleagues that they had just seconds to decide which way to run before the barrel bombs start dropping.
Almohammad described the horror of that day in a phone interview from Turkey, where he lives with his mother and siblings. "We all had to guess where the barrels from the helicopter would drop," he told BuzzFeed News. "All the staff and patients started to run, but we had no idea where to go. We could hear the noise above, we all thought the helicopter was directly over our head. It was all down to chance on whether we'd be hit. In those few seconds, it felt like my last moments."
Almohammad said he knew from past attacks that the helicopter would drop five barrels. One by one, a barrel dropped. After the fifth fell, they waited briefly before running back inside to see what and who had managed to survive. Little was left of the hospital.
"I know we are targets," Almohammad said. "I went into this knowing that I would be. The hospitals and the health workers are the first line of targets because we are trying to keep people alive."nonadultThe Maâarat Al Numan hospital before and after it was destroyed on Monday 15 February.nonadultThe systematic targeting of medical facilities has been a constant feature of Syria's devastating civil war. In a <a href="http://www.msf.org/article/syria-report-documents-war-wounded-and-war-dead-msf-supported-medical-facilities-syria">report released by MSF</a> last week, the charity said 63 MSF‐supported facilities were hit by aerial and shelling attacks in 2015, and in 12 cases, the attacks caused the total destruction of the facility. A total of 81 MSF‐supported medical staff were killed or wounded in the year. Women and children made up 30-40% of casualties recorded in its facilities in 2015, the charity said, proving civilian areas are consistently being hit.
Health charities on the ground have routinely described attacks on hospitals as war crimes and violations of international law that have become so commonplace they've become "normalised".
But Almohammad told BuzzFeed News that it is a series of attacks on MSF facilities since the beginning of the year in particular that has seriously shaken health workers. Last week, airstrikes killed 25 people at Marat Al Numan, an MSF-backed hospital in northern Syria. MSF has since called for an independent investigation into the strikes and said the attack was probably carried out by Syrian and Russian forces.
"Before, we were just very angry at the regime," Almohammad said. "Now my colleagues say that we are a very cheap target. In the media, we are just a mention, just another hospital targeted, and that's it. Nothing else. No one is moving to protect us – we have nobody to protect the health workers. If we ever leave Syria, we are escaping from our duties to help these people, and my duties towards my people."nonadultnonadultAlmohammad lives in Kilis, Turkey, but travels across the border into Syria five days a week with the MSF distribution team to provide donations of drugs and medical supplies to more than 15 hospitals and health centres. His team is also distributing essentials to the 100,000 people trapped behind the border with Turkey.
The camps, he says, are overcrowded, and he and his colleagues are now struggling to cope with three times the normal volume of patients. Almohammad says the need from civilians is overwhelming.
"What I can provide is out of my control," he said. "I know of an entire family killed by a rocket, and another family trapped under a damaged house for more than 20 hours. I'm used to seeing children with no arms or legs. It's normal to lose family members here. The children are used to seeing blood, beheaded men, bodies in the street. Women have told me that they sleep fully clothed so that if they were bombed during the night, they won't be unclothed.
"When I stand in front of them, without any power to help them, I know there's only so much I can do."
He is worried that the recent bombings of hospitals and civilians show there is little sign of attacks slowing down, and he's grown tired of watching the blame shift from one party to another with no one taking responsibility.
"On one hand, important people sit in big meetings and sometimes decide to give aid, or some other help," he said. "And on the other, they just bring arms and planes. Whoever wants to help the Syrian government, they can do it without any permission."
Since last week's bombing, MSF has <a href="http://www.msf.org/article/syria-statement-dr-joanne-liu-international-president-m%C3%A9decins-sans-fronti%C3%A8res">called on UN Security Council</a> member states – specifically the ones involved in the conflict: France, Russia, the UK, and the US – to follow <a href="http://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sc12171.doc.htm">their own resolutions</a> to "halt the carnage" in Syria.
Amnesty International said warplanes have been deliberately targeting people trying to treat victims, and described the bombing of civilians and aid workers by Russian forces as some of the most "egregious" war crimes seen in decades.
Dr Joanne Liu, international president of MSF, has called for increased and unhindered delivery of aid and for the immediate evacuation of the wounded and sick.
"We say loud and clear: The doctor of your enemy is not your enemy," Liu said. "Today, Syria is a kill box. We are witness to a collective global failure. Attacks on health facilities and other civilian targets must stop, and be subject to independent investigations."nonadultnonadultAlmohammad says he is going back into Syria in three days. His mother worries about him a lot, he says, so he calls her twice a day and lies to her by saying he's safe.
Beyond the immediate threat of airstrikes, there is, according to Almohammad, a much longer-lasting crisis unfolding in Syria: that of the mental wellbeing of people in the country, and especially of those working in hospitals constantly surrounded by death.
"What people don't realise is that the Syrian people – especially those I work with, the people in hospitals, the nurses and doctors – they're not well, psychologically," he said. "They do not see the danger as being danger now, because they've seen so many awful things, so many wounded people, so many dead people. They don't know that they're not well mentally.
"When they see dead people, they don't see anything any more, because this is all they've known for years. Yesterday somebody came into the hospital and said 13 people died in the village next to ours, and he said it without being sad. They are numb to people dying."nonadultPentagon Confirms North Korea Launched A Satellite Into Orbithttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/pentagon-confirms-north-korea-launched-a-satellite-into-spac?utm_term=4ldqpia
The isolated, communist country successfully launched some type of satellite into orbit around the Earth, U.S. officials confirmed on Monday, while condemning the act.

South Korean army soldiers watch a TV news program about North Korea's rocket launch.

Ahn Young-joon / AP

The Pentagon confirmed on Monday that North Korea had successfully launched a satellite into orbit on Sunday night, despite international condemnations.

The United Nations and others have said the test is a cover for a long-range ballistic missile that could target the United States, while North Korea says the launch was aimed at space exploration and gathering weather information.

The U.N. Security Council condemned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's actions as a violation of the ban on testing military technology and pledged to adopt further sanctions against the country.

North Korea also claimed a successful test of a hydrogen bomb on Jan. 6, although experts were skeptical that the country was in fact capable of such technology.

The U.S. and China have been trying to agree on a new sanctions resolution since the January test.

Jon Chol Jin / AP

North Korea successfully launched a satellite into orbit in 2012, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) confirmed. The country has also claimed there are a total of four satellites in space, but the first two have never been confirmed by any other agency, according to CBS News.

The recently launched satellite is now orbiting the Earth and even passed over Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, shortly after Super Bowl 50 ended, the Associated Press reported. It's not clear if the satellite is sending any signals back to North Korea.

]]>Michelle Broder Van Dykehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/pentagon-confirms-north-korea-launched-a-satellite-into-spacMon, 08 Feb 2016 19:38:40 -0500The isolated, communist country successfully launched some type of satellite into orbit around the Earth, U.S. officials confirmed on Monday, while condemning the act.mbvdnonadultSouth Korean army soldiers watch a TV news program about North Korea's rocket launch.nonadultThe Pentagon confirmed on Monday that North Korea had successfully launched a satellite into orbit on Sunday night, despite international condemnations.
The United Nations and others have <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/north-korea-launches-rocket-that-may-have-been-a-missile-tes#.ko7dOR9RE">said</a> the test is a cover for a long-range ballistic missile that could target the United States, while North Korea says the launch was aimed at space exploration and gathering weather information.
The U.N. Security Council condemned North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's actions as a violation of the ban on testing military technology and pledged to adopt further sanctions against the country.nonadultnonadultnonadultNorth Korea also claimed a successful test of a hydrogen bomb on Jan. 6, although <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/earthquake-detected-near-nuclear-test-site-in-north-korea#.ylXPp5Y54">experts were skeptical</a> that the country was in fact capable of such technology.
The U.S. and China have been trying to agree on a new sanctions resolution since the January test.nonadultnonadultNorth Korea successfully launched a satellite into orbit in 2012, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) <a href="https://www.facebook.com/noradnorthcom/?target_post=10154212118988352">confirmed</a>. The country has also claimed there are a total of four satellites in space, but the first two have never been confirmed by any other agency, according to <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/north-korea-satellite-tumbling-in-orbit-u-s-officials-say/">CBS News</a>.
The recently launched satellite is now orbiting the Earth and even passed over Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, shortly after Super Bowl 50 ended, <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/788bd98e3d24451dbe0ed486e7148bbc/north-koreas-new-satellite-flew-over-super-bowl-site">the Associated Press</a> reported. It's not clear if the satellite is sending any signals back to North Korea.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultPolice Arrest 3 Men In Connection With ISIS-Claimed Attack In Jakartahttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/multiple-explosions-gunfire-rock-jakarta-capital-of-indonesi?utm_term=4ldqpia
At least seven people died, including five assailants, a police spokesperson said.

An Indonesian police officer fires his handgun towards suspects outside a café after a series of blasts hit Jakarta on Thursday.

Bay Ismoyo / AFP / Getty Images

Depok area police chief Col. Dwiyono said on Friday that the three men were arrested at dawn from their homes in Depok, which is just outside Jakarta, the Associated Press reported.

Dwiyono said the men are suspected militants and are being questioned.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo condemned the explosions as an "act of terror" on Thursday.

Jakarta police spokesperson Col. Muhammad Iqbal told the Associated Press that five assailants were among the seven dead.

Several other people were reported injured. Netherlandic Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said a Dutch man had been seriously wounded, according to AP.

Reuters reported that at least one blast went off in front of the Sarinah mall. A police post outside the mall was reportedly destroyed.

Witnesses told AP that some of the explosions likely happened at a Starbucks store. In a statement Thursday, Starbucks said "initial reports are that an explosion took place close to our store in the Skyline building." One customer was injured and all staff members were safe, the company added.

The National Security Council also issued a statement condemning the terrorist attack.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims of this heinous attack. The United States is strongly committed to our strategic partnership with Indonesia and will stand by the Government of Indonesia as it works to bring those responsible for this barbaric terrorist attack to justice and build a more secure future."

Oscar Siagian / Getty Images

ISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack through social media posts.

Shortly before the claim, Indonesian national police spokesperson Anton Charliyan told reporters that the assailants "imitated the terror actions in Paris ... they are likely from the [ISIS] group," according to AP.

Charliyan added that police had received a warning that there would "be a concert" — meaning an attack — on Indonesia in November.

The AP also reported that some explosions happened near the Pakistani and Turkish embassies.

Images purportedly recorded at the scene showed multiple blasts and clouds of smoke drifting between buildings.

Indonesian police take position behind a vehicle Thursday.

Bay Ismoyo / AFP / Getty Images

Indonesian police pursue suspects outside a café Thursday.

Bay Ismoyo / AFP / Getty Images

A body lies in the street in Jakarta Thursday.

Bay Ismoyo / AFP / Getty Images

Two bodies lie in the street outside a damaged police post Thursday.

Bay Ismoyo / AFP / Getty Images

A video also showed a large crowd fleeing the scene of the explosion. (Warning: The video is graphic.)

The message urged U.S. citizens to "avoid the area around Sari Pan Pacific Hotel and Sarinah Plaza on Jalan Sudirman Thamrin, in downtown Jakarta."

The message added that the situation was continuing to unfold Thursday afternoon.

In its statement, Starbucks announced Thursday that all stores in Jakarta will be closed until further noticed.

"We are deeply saddened by the senseless acts that have taken place in Jakarta today; our hearts are with the people of Indonesia," the statement added.

This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates and follow @BuzzFeedNews on Twitter.

]]>Jim Dalrymple IIhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/multiple-explosions-gunfire-rock-jakarta-capital-of-indonesiWed, 13 Jan 2016 23:31:47 -0500At least seven people died, including five assailants, a police spokesperson said.jimdalrympleiinonadultAn Indonesian police officer fires his handgun towards suspects outside a café after a series of blasts hit Jakarta on Thursday.nonadultDepok area police chief Col. Dwiyono said on Friday that the three men were arrested at dawn from their homes in Depok, which is just outside Jakarta, the Associated Press <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/latest-indonesian-leaders-orders-hunt-perpetrators-36279539">reported</a>.
Dwiyono said the men are suspected militants and are being questioned.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DivHumasPolri/photos/a.184838644878333.51797.117740101588188/1239284946100359/?type=3">condemned</a> the explosions as an "act of terror" on Thursday.
Jakarta police spokesperson Col. Muhammad Iqbal told <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/70f9df6b527a4296814ce05752d7d64a/latest-fresh-blast-near-starbucks-jakarta">the Associated Press</a> that five assailants were among the seven dead.
Several other people were reported injured. Netherlandic Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said a Dutch man had been seriously wounded, according to <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/70f9df6b527a4296814ce05752d7d64a/latest-fresh-blast-near-starbucks-jakarta">AP</a>.
Reuters <a href="http://in.reuters.com/article/indonesia-blast-idINKCN0US0BW20160114">reported</a> that at least one blast went off in front of the Sarinah mall. A police post outside the mall was reportedly destroyed.
Witnesses <a href="https://twitter.com/AP/status/687495680940716032">told AP</a> that some of the explosions likely happened at a Starbucks store. In a statement Thursday, Starbucks <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/indonesia-attacks-outside-starbucks">said</a> "initial reports are that an explosion took place close to our store in the Skyline building." One customer was injured and all staff members were safe, the company added.
The National Security Council also issued a statement condemning the terrorist attack.<blockquote>"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims of this heinous attack. The United States is strongly committed to our strategic partnership with Indonesia and will stand by the Government of Indonesia as it works to bring those responsible for this barbaric terrorist attack to justice and build a more secure future."</blockquote>nonadultnonadultISIS later claimed responsibility for the attack through social media posts.
Shortly before the claim, Indonesian national police spokesperson Anton Charliyan told reporters that the assailants "imitated the terror actions in Paris ... they are likely from the [ISIS] group," according to <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/70f9df6b527a4296814ce05752d7d64a/latest-fresh-blast-near-starbucks-jakarta">AP.</a>
Charliyan added that police had received a warning that there would "be a concert" —&nbsp;meaning an attack —&nbsp;on Indonesia in November.
The AP also <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/fad70d5bcc0e45b69388aa23b016b90f/latest-more-explosions-reported-jakarta">reported</a> that some explosions happened near the Pakistani and Turkish embassies.
Images purportedly recorded at the scene showed multiple blasts and clouds of smoke drifting between buildings.nonadultnonadultIndonesian police take position behind a vehicle Thursday.nonadultIndonesian police pursue suspects outside a café Thursday.nonadultnonadultA body lies in the street in Jakarta Thursday.nonadultTwo bodies lie in the street outside a damaged police post Thursday.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultThe message urged U.S. citizens to "avoid the area around Sari Pan Pacific Hotel and Sarinah Plaza on Jalan Sudirman Thamrin, in downtown Jakarta."
The message added that the situation was continuing to unfold Thursday afternoon.
In its statement, Starbucks <a href="https://news.starbucks.com/news/indonesia-attacks-outside-starbucks">announced</a> Thursday that all stores in Jakarta will be closed until further noticed.
"We are deeply saddened by the senseless acts that have taken place in Jakarta today; our hearts are with the people of Indonesia," the statement added.nonadult<i>This is a developing story. Check back soon for updates and follow <a href="https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews">@BuzzFeedNews</a> on Twitter.</i>nonadultIt was unclear early Thursday how many attackers were killed or arrested. This post originally included specific numbers first reported by the Associated Press.nonadult11 Hate Crimes Sikhs Have Suffered This Year, After Being Mistaken For Muslimshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/andreborges/11-hate-crimes-sikhs-have-suffered-this-year-after-being-mis?utm_term=4ldqpia
Ignorance kills.

Aside from making life increasingly dangerous for Muslims around the world, rising Islamophobia globally has resulted in members of the Sikh community being falsely identified and attacked.

When a Sikh taxi driver was called "Bin Laden", repeatedly beaten, and left unconscious on the side of the road by a Chicago teenager.

When a Sikh store owner was shot in the face while his attacker said, "I used to kill people like you in Iraq with no problem".

When three Sikh guys were harassed and denied entry into an NFL game.

When a Sikh student in New Zealand received death threats for wearing a turban.

]]>Andre Borgeshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/andreborges/11-hate-crimes-sikhs-have-suffered-this-year-after-being-misTue, 22 Dec 2015 06:27:09 -0500Ignorance kills.andreborgesnonadultAside from making life increasingly dangerous for Muslims around the world, rising Islamophobia globally has resulted in members of the Sikh community being falsely identified and attacked.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultA 12-Year-Old Sikh Boy In Texas Was Arrested When A Classmate Joked About A Bomb In His Baghttps://www.buzzfeed.com/andreborges/a-12-year-old-sikh-boy-was-arrested-joking-about-having-a-bo?utm_term=4ldqpia
His parents were only informed after they repeatedly called different police stations.

Armaan Singh Sarai, a student at Nichols Junior High School in Arlington, Texas, was arrested on December 11 after a classmate joked that a power pack in Sarai's backpack looked like a bomb.

Shortly thereafter, Arlington police walked into the classroom and arrested Sarai. They took him into custody, interrogated him at the station, and kept him for three days.

Arlington police claim that Sarai himself claimed to have a bomb, and later recanted his statement.

“People have got to learn they cannot make these types of threats which cause alarm, which cause evacuations,” Arlington Police Department spokesman Lt. Christopher Cook told the Dallas Morning News. “Just because you say it’s a joke, it doesn’t get you out of trouble.”

Sarai’s cousin, Ginee Haer, shared Sarai's story on Facebook on December 16, including the detail that police "kept him held behind bars for three consecutive days".

"My cousin is a minor and was arrested without any evidence or guardian present! This should show you how fucked up the system is!" she continued. "There are good people out there, but the majority of the system is corrupt! All these bastards see is race & the colour of your skin!"

Sarai's brother Aksh Singh uploaded a Facebook post in which he attached images of an email he was going to send to Julie Harcrow, the principal of Nichols Junior High School.

In the email, Singh explains that his brother along with other kids were joking about having a bomb, but only Sarai was arrested. Singh asks why only the "Indian" kid was arrested and not the other kids, and why when his sister went to the school to ask about his missing brother, the school claimed they had no idea where he was. He ended the email, by saying that his family demands an explanation and they will be taking this matter very seriously.

]]>Andre Borgeshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/andreborges/a-12-year-old-sikh-boy-was-arrested-joking-about-having-a-boFri, 18 Dec 2015 04:42:19 -0500His parents were only informed after they repeatedly called different police stations.andreborgesnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadult“People have got to learn they cannot make these types of threats which cause alarm, which cause evacuations,” Arlington Police Department spokesman Lt. Christopher Cook <a href="http://thescoopblog.dallasnews.com/2015/12/arlington-isd-says-12-year-old-sikh-student-arrested-for-making-threat-family-disputes-account.html/">told</a> the Dallas Morning News. “Just because you say it’s a joke, it doesn’t get you out of trouble.”nonadultnonadult<blockquote>
"My cousin is a minor and was arrested without any evidence or guardian present! This should show you how fucked up the system is!" she continued. "There are good people out there, but the majority of the system is corrupt! All these bastards see is race &amp; the colour of your skin!"</blockquote>nonadultIn the email, Singh explains that his brother along with other kids were joking about having a bomb, but only Sarai was arrested. Singh asks why only the "Indian" kid was arrested and not the other kids, and why when his sister went to the school to ask about his missing brother, the school claimed they had no idea where he was. He ended the email, by saying that his family demands an explanation and they will be taking this matter very seriously.nonadultnonadultExplosion At Pakistan Market Kills 15, Leaves 50 Woundedhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/aliciamelvillesmith/explosion-at-pakistan-market-kills-15?utm_term=4ldqpia
At least 15 people are dead and 50 wounded after a bomb went off in a crowded market in Pakistan Sunday.

The explosion happened in Parachinar, a town in the country's northwest tribal region, as crowds of people visited a weekly market, Al Jazerra reported.

Hospital sources told Pakistani television network DawnNews the death toll could rise as at least 47 people were injured and 15 were in critical condition.

At this point it is unclear whether the blast was a suicide attack or a remote-controlled blast. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

A local official Amjad Ali said the number of victims could increase as security forces investigate the blast, CNN reported.

"Our resolve to eradicate the menace of terrorism is getting stronger and stronger with the loss of innocent lives and sacrifices of army and law enforcement officials," he said.

"This fight is an irreversible process until this terrorism is rooted out from country," the prime minister said.

]]>Alicia Melville-Smithhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/aliciamelvillesmith/explosion-at-pakistan-market-kills-15Sun, 13 Dec 2015 05:40:52 -0500The bomb went off in Parachinar, a town in the country's northwest tribal region, as crowds of people visited a weekly market Sunday.aliciamelvillesmithnonadult
<h1>At least 15 people are dead and 50 wounded after a bomb went off in a crowded market in Pakistan Sunday.</h1>
<p>The explosion happened in Parachinar, a town in the country&#39;s northwest tribal region, as crowds of people visited a weekly market, <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/12/deadly-bombing-hits-pakistan-marketplace-151213082635974.html">Al Jazerra reported.</a></p><p>Hospital sources told Pakistani television network <a href="http://www.dawn.com/news/1226103/at-least-15-dead-in-parachinar-clothes-market-blast">DawnNews</a> the death toll could rise as at least 47 people were injured and 15 were in critical condition.</p><p>At this point it is unclear whether the blast was a suicide attack or a remote-controlled blast. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.</p><p>A local official Amjad Ali said the number of victims could increase as security forces investigate the blast, <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2015/12/13/asia/pakistan-blast/index.html">CNN reported.</a></p><p>Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz condemned the attacks in a statement.</p><p>"Our resolve to eradicate the menace of terrorism is getting stronger and stronger with the loss of innocent lives and sacrifices of army and law enforcement officials," he said.</p><p>"This fight is an irreversible process until this terrorism is rooted out from country," the prime minister said.</p>
<p><small></small></p>
nonadultPhoto Shows Dog Wearing A Purple Heart After Surviving Bomb Blasthttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/military-dog-wears-a-purple-heart-after-surviving-bomb-blast?utm_term=4ldqpia
Specialist Andrew Brown and a German shepherd named Rocky are recovering after the pair was hit by shrapnel from a bomb blast in Afghanistan.

A military dog and his handler shared a hospital bed after they were both wounded by shrapnel from a bomb that went off during a routine patrol in Afghanistan.

Brown's wife Kayla posted on Facebook that her husband received multiple surgeries in Germany before he traveled to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday for another surgery.

She said Rocky would stay in Germany for another week or two before returning to America to finish his rehab. Rocky was doing much better, she said, as his wound vac had been removed and "he can move around a little easier now."

"While not necessarily life threatening, their injuries are pretty significant and will take some time to heal for sure," Kayla Brown wrote on Facebook. "Right now it's not known if either of them will be deemed fit for duty again after all is said and done... there's still a long road of recovery ahead."

"I'm so so thankful I didn't lose my best friend that night," the wife and mother of two added. "I don't know what I would have done. That man means the world to me and these boys of ours."

]]>Michelle Broder Van Dykehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/military-dog-wears-a-purple-heart-after-surviving-bomb-blastSat, 12 Dec 2015 20:15:56 -0500Specialist Andrew Brown and a German shepherd named Rocky are recovering after the pair was hit by shrapnel from a bomb blast in Afghanistan.mbvdnonadultnonadultSpecialist Andrew Brown and his United States Army military dog Rocky were sent to Germany to recover after suffering shrapnel wounds from an IED blast.
A picture of Rocky recovering with a Purple Heart pinned to his collar posted to the 89th Military Brigade's Facebook was met with an outpouring of support online.nonadultnonadultBrown's wife Kayla posted on Facebook that her husband received multiple surgeries in Germany before he traveled to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on Friday for another surgery.
She said Rocky would stay in Germany for another week or two before returning to America to finish his rehab. Rocky was doing much better, she said, as his wound vac had been removed and "he can move around a little easier now."nonadultKayla and Andrew Brown at the Walter Reed and Rocky in Germany.nonadult"While not necessarily life threatening, their injuries are pretty significant and will take some time to heal for sure," Kayla Brown <a href="https://www.facebook.com/kayla.kat.brown/posts/10206202175465594">wrote on Facebook</a>. "Right now it's not known if either of them will be deemed fit for duty again after all is said and done... there's still a long road of recovery ahead."
"I'm so so thankful I didn't lose my best friend that night," the wife and mother of two added. "I don't know what I would have done. That man means the world to me and these boys of ours."
A <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/qxe4qbh4">Go Fund Me page</a> was started to help support the Brown family.nonadultAndrew with his wife Kayla, 1-year-old son Jaxson, and 1-week-old son Colten.nonadultRocky is 4-years-old and was re-certified in September during the working dog certification course before his deployment with Brown the following month.
"This course is always a wonderful experience," Brown said to <a href="http://www.forthoodsentinel.com/story.php?id=16624"><i>the Fort Hood Sentinel</i></a> in September. "The course allows handlers and dogs to build trust for one another."nonadultnonadultHandlers have the option to adopt the dogs after they are retired.
"Adoptions happen a lot with military working dog handlers," Brown said. "I would adopt Rocky in a heartbeat."nonadultnonadultFirebomb Kills At Least 16 People At Cairo Restauranthttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/fire-bomb-kills-14-people-in-egypt?utm_term=4ldqpia
Officials say the attack happened after a dispute among the workers at the restaurant, and police were still hunting the suspects Friday afternoon.

A police officer stands in front a restaurant/nightclub that was attacked in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 4.

Amr Nabil / AP

A firebomb killed at least 16 people and wounded several others Friday morning at a Cairo restaurant and nightclub.

The bomb was thrown into a basement eatery in the Agouza district after what may have been a dispute among the business' employees, according to a statement from Egypt's Interior Ministry. The Associated Press reported that police were looking for two young men who are believed to have thrown the firebomb.

In addition to killing 16, the attack injured three people, according to the Interior Ministry. Video from the scene showed flames and smoke pouring from the building.

According to the AP, the restaurant is not officially a nightclub but becomes a bar at night in order to get around taboos about drinking. Reuters reported that the restaurant's location in a basement made escape difficult, and victims burned to death and died from smoke inhalation.

]]>Jim Dalrymple IIhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/fire-bomb-kills-14-people-in-egyptFri, 04 Dec 2015 06:45:10 -0500Officials say the attack happened after a dispute among the workers at the restaurant, and police were still hunting the suspects Friday afternoon.jimdalrympleiinonadultA police officer stands in front a restaurant/nightclub that was attacked in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Dec. 4.nonadultA firebomb killed at least 16 people and wounded several others Friday morning at a Cairo restaurant and nightclub.
The bomb was thrown into a basement eatery in the Agouza district after what may have been a dispute among the business' employees, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MoiEgy/photos/a.181676241876047.36036.181662475210757/992729280770735/?type=3&amp;theater">according to a statement</a> from Egypt's Interior Ministry. The Associated Press <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/a455da6c1366401984e4d692d79097c8/egypt-12-killed-5-hurt-firebomb-attack-nightclub">reported</a> that police were looking for two young men who are believed to have thrown the firebomb.
In addition to killing 16, the attack injured three people, according to the Interior Ministry. Video from the scene showed flames and smoke pouring from the building.nonadultnonadultAccording to the AP, the restaurant is not officially a nightclub but becomes a bar at night in order to get around taboos about drinking. Reuters <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-violence-idUSKBN0TN0JT20151204#BjWZEuR8gtVFSMPR.97">reported</a> that the restaurant's location in a basement made escape difficult, and victims burned to death and died from smoke inhalation.nonadultISIS Stock Footagehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedvideo/isis-stock-footage?utm_term=4ldqpia
Last night ISIS released a video claiming to show a man walking through New York City with a bomb. BuzzFeed News found that their NYC shots were actually from the YouTube page of Stock Footage website

New York City's One World Trade Center:

Many people shared images of the original Eiffel Tower in Paris soon after the attacks, saying its lights had been turned out to honor the victims. However, in reality the tower's lights are always turned off at 1 a.m., and the images merely showed the tower during the hours when it would normally be dark.

Instead, a famous replica of the tower at the Paris Las Vegas hotel switched off its lights as a sign of respect.

San Francisco City Hall:

Stephen Lam / Reuters

San Francisco City Hall also flew the French flag Friday evening:

The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was illuminated Saturday night.

Christophe Simon / AFP / Getty Images

The Mexican Senate building:

Yuri Cortez / AFP / Getty Images

The Angel de la Independencia monument in Mexico City:

Tomas Bravo / Reuters

French Embassy compound in Beijing:

Andy Wong / AP

Shanghai's Pearl Tower:

Johannes Eisele / AFP / Getty Images

Toronto's CN Tower:

Chris Helgren / Reuters

As night fell in Australia, the Sydney Opera House lit up like the French flag:

Cameron Spencer / Getty Images

In Brisbane, Australia:

Victoria Bates / Facebook

The Auckland Sky Tower in New Zealand:

Hannah Peters / Getty Images

The Auckland Museum:

]]>Jim Dalrymple IIhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/world-landmarks-light-up-in-the-colors-of-the-french-flag-toFri, 13 Nov 2015 22:20:33 -0500One World Trade Center, Toronto's CN Tower, and other prominent buildings were illuminated in blue, white, and red late Friday and early Saturday.jimdalrympleiinonadultnonadultnonadultNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo <a href="https://twitter.com/NYGovCuomo/status/665362727347560450?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">said</a> his state stands in solidarity with the people of France.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultMany people shared images of the original Eiffel Tower in Paris soon after the attacks, saying its lights had been turned out to honor the victims. However, in reality the tower's lights are always turned off at 1 a.m., and the images merely showed the tower during the hours when it would normally be dark.
Instead, a famous replica of the tower at the Paris Las Vegas hotel switched off its lights as a sign of respect.nonadultnonadultSan Francisco City Hall also flew the French flag Friday evening:nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultThe hockey team in Washington, D.C., is named the Capitals. This post originally misstated their name.nonadultThe Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro was illuminated on Saturday. This post originally misstated the day it was lit up.nonadultnonadultnonadultReports: ISIS May Have Planted Bomb That Downed Russian Planehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeednews/reports-isis-or-affiliate-planted-bomb-that-downed-russian-p?utm_term=4ldqpia
U.S. intelligence suggests ISIS or an affiliate may have planted an explosive device on the airliner that crashed Saturday in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people.

Maxim Grigoriev / AP

Hours after British officials said Wednesday they believe the Russian passenger jet that crashed in the Egyptian desert was downed by an in-flight bomb, several major news networks reported that investigators are focusing on ISIS or an ISIS affiliate as the attackers.

The claims that ISIS or a sympathetic organization planted a bomb on the jet were initially reported by CNN, then NBC News, both citing U.S. officials. There has been no conclusive evidence of a terrorist attack. Some ISIS supporters have claimed responsibility.

"There is a definite feeling it was an explosive device planted in luggage or somewhere on the plane," the U.S. official told CNN.

An Israeli military intelligence officer told BuzzFeed News they had yet to see evidence to suggest it was a bomb rather than a fault in the plane that caused the crash. "Either explanation is equally plausible to us at this time, given the intelligence we have seen," he said.

At a press briefing on Wednesday, State Department spokesperson John Kirby said, "We don't know what happened."

Meanwhile, a New York Times journalist reported that authorities had not yet forensically determined whether a bomb had been placed onboard.

Later, CBS News and the AP also reported that U.S. intelligence indicates ISIS or an affiliate may have planted a bomb on the jet.

"The official says intercepted communications played a role in the tentative conclusion that the Islamic State group's Sinai affiliate planted an explosive device on the plane," the AP reported.

Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member on the House Commitee on Intelligence, told CNN people should not jump to conclusions yet.

"We are still trying to confirm what the cause of the crash was. It is certainly possible that it was an explosive, but it's also possible that this was a structural problem with the plane. With the tail section of the plane," he said.

"So at this point, I don't think we're prepared to draw any conclusions. But obviously we're investigating it and directing our intelligence resources to try to determine the cause of the crash," Schiff said.

The Sinai affiliate for ISIS was originally named Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, later changed to Wilayat Sinai.

Earlier on Wednesday, that group released a new audio statement, according toAswat Masriya, taking responsibility for the claim.

"Take the crashed plane and search it, take the black box and analyze it," the voice says. "Tell us what you found in your investigation, show us your expertise and prove, if you can, that it wasn't us who took the plane down or how it fell."

The speaker said that Sinai Province is "under no obligation to reveal the method by which we took [the plane] down." However, he continued by claiming that "we were the ones, with God's grace, who made the plane fall and we will reveal how we took it down when and how we see fit."

The Metrojet flight departed the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for St. Petersburg on Saturday morning and crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 217 passengers and seven crew members.

One U.S. official told CNN that U.S. officials didn't have credible intelligence about an attack before the crash. Another U.S. official told CNN the intelligence is based on monitoring of internal ISIS messages unrelated to their public claims of responsibility.

Earlier Wednesday, the U.K. government said it believes the passenger jet "may well have been brought down by an explosive device" — and ordered all British flights to the area to be temporarily grounded.

Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Wednesday evening that Prime Minister David Cameron had chaired a meeting of his Cobra national security committee on the Russian jet.

"As a result, we have concluded there is a significant possibility that the crash was caused by an explosive device on board the aircraft," he said.

The British government has now decided to change its travel advice for Europe, now warning against all but essential travel through the Sharm el-Sheikh airport.

British authorities are working with their Egyptian counterparts to put in place additional security measures at the airport, Hammond said.

Reporting by Ellie Hall and Ali Watkins in New York and Sheera Frenkel in San Francisco.

]]>BuzzFeed Newshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeednews/reports-isis-or-affiliate-planted-bomb-that-downed-russian-pWed, 04 Nov 2015 16:55:10 -0500U.S. intelligence suggests ISIS or an affiliate may have planted an explosive device on the airliner that crashed Saturday in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, killing 224 people.buzzfeednewsnonadultnonadultHours after British officials said Wednesday they believe the Russian passenger jet that <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/russian-passenger-jet-reportedly-crashes-over-egypt#.ufe6Yj0Qa">crashed</a> in the Egyptian desert was downed by an <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/jimwaterson/uk-believes-sinai-plane-crash-may-have-been-bombed#.gfkKoy035">in-flight bomb</a>, several major news networks reported that investigators are focusing on ISIS or an ISIS affiliate as the attackers.
The claims that ISIS or a sympathetic organization planted a bomb on the jet were initially reported by <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2015/11/04/africa/russian-plane-crash-egypt-sinai/index.html">CNN</a>, then <a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/russian-plane-crashes-in-the-sinai/bomb-may-have-downed-russian-jet-u-s-official-says-n457446">NBC News</a>, both citing U.S. officials. There has been no conclusive evidence of a terrorist attack. Some ISIS supporters have claimed responsibility.
"There is a definite feeling it was an explosive device planted in luggage or somewhere on the plane," the U.S. official told CNN.
An Israeli military intelligence officer told BuzzFeed News they had yet to see evidence to suggest it was a bomb rather than a fault in the plane that caused the crash. "Either explanation is equally plausible to us at this time, given the intelligence we have seen," he said.
At a press briefing on Wednesday, State Department spokesperson John Kirby said, "We don't know what happened."
Meanwhile, a <i>New York Times</i> journalist reported that authorities had not yet forensically determined whether a bomb had been placed onboard.nonadultnonadultLater, <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-intel-isis-may-have-placed-bomb-on-downed-russian-plane/">CBS News</a> and the <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/5a37254fd9734557bc5382e4f8664638/latest-33-victims-plane-crash-egypt-identified">AP</a> also reported that U.S. intelligence indicates ISIS or an affiliate may have planted a bomb on the jet.
"The official says intercepted communications played a role in the tentative conclusion that the Islamic State group's Sinai affiliate planted an explosive device on the plane," the AP reported.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the ranking member on the House Commitee on Intelligence, told CNN people should not jump to conclusions yet.nonadultnonadult"We are still trying to confirm what the cause of the crash was. It is certainly possible that it was an explosive, but it's also possible that this was a structural problem with the plane. With the tail section of the plane," he said.
"So at this point, I don't think we're prepared to draw any conclusions. But obviously we're investigating it and directing our intelligence resources to try to determine the cause of the crash," Schiff said.
The Sinai affiliate for ISIS was originally named Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis, later changed to Wilayat Sinai.
Earlier on Wednesday, that group released a new audio statement, <a href="http://en.aswatmasriya.com/news/view.aspx?id=0b337aa2-1b14-4cdb-9243-0488538c2f7f">according to</a> <i>Aswat Masriya</i>, taking responsibility for the claim.
The <i>Wall Street Journal</i> <a href="http://www.wsj.com/articles/isis-offshoot-invites-russian-plane-crash-investigators-to-prove-it-wasnt-us-1446646925?alg=y">translated</a> the statement as saying:
<blockquote>"Take the crashed plane and search it, take the black box and analyze it," the voice says. "Tell us what you found in your investigation, show us your expertise and prove, if you can, that it wasn't us who took the plane down or how it fell."
The speaker said that Sinai Province is "under no obligation to reveal the method by which we took [the plane] down." However, he continued by claiming that "we were the ones, with God's grace, who made the plane fall and we will reveal how we took it down when and how we see fit."</blockquote>
The Metrojet flight departed the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh for St. Petersburg on Saturday morning and crashed shortly after takeoff, killing 217 passengers and seven crew members.
One U.S. official told CNN that U.S. officials didn't have credible intelligence about an attack before the crash. Another U.S. official told CNN the intelligence is based on monitoring of internal ISIS messages unrelated to their public claims of responsibility.
Earlier Wednesday, the U.K. government said it believes the passenger jet "may well have been brought down by an explosive device" — and <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/jimwaterson/uk-believes-sinai-plane-crash-may-have-been-bombed#.nlV3QKw6X">ordered</a> all British flights to the area to be temporarily grounded.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said on Wednesday evening that Prime Minister David Cameron had chaired a meeting of his Cobra national security committee on the Russian jet.
"As a result, we have concluded there is a significant possibility that the crash was caused by an explosive device on board the aircraft," he said.
The British government has now decided to change its travel advice for Europe, now warning against all but essential travel through the Sharm el-Sheikh airport.
British authorities are working with their Egyptian counterparts to put in place additional security measures at the airport, Hammond said.
<i>
Reporting by Ellie Hall and Ali Watkins in New York and Sheera Frenkel in San Francisco.</i>nonadultnonadultnonadultMan Bombed Walmart Because It Stopped Selling Confederate Flag, Police Sayhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/man-bombed-walmart-because-it-stopped-selling-confederate-fl?utm_term=4ldqpia

The entrance to the Tupelo Walmart store.

Google Maps

Mississippi police officers have arrested a man for allegedly throwing a homemade explosive device into a Walmart store on Sunday because he was angry employees there stopped selling Confederate flag paraphernalia.

“A white male got out, lit the package and threw it in the vestibule,” Aguirre said. “There was an employee on break, and the suspect told him, ‘You better run.’"

Marshall Leonard.

Lee County Sheriff's Office

“The employee did run and was away from harm when the package went off. It wasn’t a large explosion. It didn’t cause a lot of damage to the store.”

The device made a loud noise but did no real damage, police said.

No one was injured in the blast and Leonard was later arrested for running a red light.

Local county sheriff records show he has be charged with "disregard for a traffic device," but police were expected to charge him on Tuesday with placing an explosive device.

BuzzFeed News is awaiting comment from the Tupelo Police Department, but Aguirre told the Associated Press Leonard was mad that the Wal-Mart corporation had decided, along with other major retailers, to stop selling merchandise featuring the Confederate flag in its stores.

The decision was made after the symbol was embraced by a man charged with fatally shooting nine African-Americans in a Charleston, South Carolina, church in June.

"He's a strong supporter of keeping that flag flying," Aguirre told the AP. "This is his way of bringing attention to that."

The Mississippi state flag features the Confederate battle flag in its top left corner, and state lawmakers have previously told BuzzFeed News the flag needed to be redesigned.

A Facebook page that appeared to belong to Leonard contained a number of posts and images in support of the Confederate flag.

Facebook

A post from the account to the Facebook page of the Daily Journal on Oct. 28 threatened the newspaper, as well as the Wal-Mart corporation.

"Journal Corporate...You are on final warning...You are part if the problem. As a result of this, yall are going down, along with WALMART, WTVA, REEDS DEPARTMENT STORE, AND ALL THE REST OF THE ANTI-AMERICAN CROOKS," the post reads.

"GET YOURSELF READY...THE LORD IS COMMING AFTER YALL ....IM NOT KIDDING NO MESSING AROUND ANYMORE! YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED ALL OF YA!"

]]>David Mackhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/man-bombed-walmart-because-it-stopped-selling-confederate-flTue, 03 Nov 2015 11:46:44 -0500The Mississippi man was allegedly angry store officials decided to stop selling the flag after the Charleston church massacre in June.davidmacknonadult
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-11/3/11/enhanced/webdr02/enhanced-mid-3048-1446567105-2.png" width="720" height="410" alt="" /></p>
<p>The entrance to the Tupelo Walmart store.</p>
<p><small>Google Maps</small></p>
<p>Mississippi police officers have arrested a man for allegedly throwing a homemade explosive device into a Walmart store on Sunday because he was angry employees there stopped selling Confederate flag paraphernalia.</p><p>Marshall W. Leonard, 61, was arrested after he allegedly threw a newspaper package containing explosive materials into the 24-hour store in Tupelo, Mississippi, around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Police Chief Bart Aguirre told Mississippi&#39;s <a href="http://djournal.com/news/man-explodes-device-at-walmart/"><i>Daily Journal</i></a>.<br /></p><p>&ldquo;A white male got out, lit the package and threw it in the vestibule,&rdquo; Aguirre said. &ldquo;There was an employee on break, and the suspect told him, &lsquo;You better run.&rsquo;"</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-11/3/11/enhanced/webdr14/longform-24886-1446567529-1.jpg" width="300" height="326" alt="" /></p>
<p>Marshall Leonard.</p>
<p><small>Lee County Sheriff's Office</small></p>
<p>&ldquo;The employee did run and was away from harm when the package went off. It wasn&rsquo;t a large explosion. It didn&rsquo;t cause a lot of damage to the store.&rdquo;</p><p>The device made a loud noise but did no real damage, police said.</p><p>No one was injured in the blast and Leonard was later arrested for running a red light.</p><p>Local county sheriff records show he has be charged with "disregard for a traffic device," but police were expected to charge him on Tuesday with placing an explosive device.</p><p>BuzzFeed News is awaiting comment from the Tupelo Police Department, but Aguirre told the Associated Press Leonard was mad that the Wal-Mart corporation had decided, <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/walmart-will-no-long-be-carrying-confederate-flag-merchandis">along with other major retailers</a>, to stop selling merchandise featuring the Confederate flag in its stores.</p><p>The decision was made after the symbol was embraced by a man charged with fatally <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/shooting-erupts-in-downtown-charleston-south-carolina">shooting nine African-Americans</a> in a Charleston, South Carolina, church in June.</p><p>"He&#39;s a strong supporter of keeping that flag flying," Aguirre told the AP. "This is his way of bringing attention to that."</p><p>The Mississippi state flag features the Confederate battle flag in its top left corner, and state lawmakers have previously <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/here-are-some-confederate-symbols-across-the-us-that-may-be#.pvYa1zQDN2">told BuzzFeed News</a> the flag needed to be redesigned.</p><p>A <a href="https://www.facebook.com/marshal.leonard?fref=nf">Facebook page</a> that appeared to belong to Leonard contained a number of posts and images in support of the Confederate flag.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-11/3/11/enhanced/webdr08/enhanced-mid-2908-1446567861-1.png" width="720" height="401" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>Facebook</small></p>
<p>A post from the account to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/djournalnow/posts/10206707010146972">Facebook page</a> of the <i>Daily Journal</i> on Oct. 28 threatened the newspaper, as well as the Wal-Mart corporation.</p><p>"Journal Corporate...You are on final warning...You are part if the problem. As a result of this, yall are going down, along with WALMART, WTVA, REEDS DEPARTMENT STORE, AND ALL THE REST OF THE ANTI-AMERICAN CROOKS," the post reads.</p><p>"GET YOURSELF READY...THE LORD IS COMMING AFTER YALL ....IM NOT KIDDING NO MESSING AROUND ANYMORE&#33; YOUR DAYS ARE NUMBERED ALL OF YA&#33;"</p>
<p><strong>LINK:</strong> <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/here-are-some-confederate-symbols-across-the-us-that-may-be" rel="nofollow">Confederate Symbols Challenged And Removed Across The U.S. After Charleston Shooting</a></p>
<p><small></small></p>
<p><strong>LINK:</strong> <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/walmart-will-no-long-be-carrying-confederate-flag-merchandis#.wneBJ36XDx" rel="nofollow">Wal-Mart, Amazon, Etsy and Other Major Retailers Will No Longer Carry Confederate Flag Merchandise</a></p>
<p><small></small></p>
<p><small></small></p>
nonadultnonadultThe entrance to the Tupelo Walmart store.nonadultMarshall Leonard.nonadultnonadultAhmed Mohamed's Homemade Clock Arrest Shocked A Nation, But Not Local Muslimshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/ahmed-mohameds-homemade-clock-arrest-shocked-a-nation-but-no?utm_term=4ldqpia

Ahmed Mohamed, 14, gestures as he arrives to his family's home.

Lm Otero / AP

The image of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed at school — a NASA shirt over his thin frame, his arms handcuffed over fears his homemade clock was a fake bomb — may have spurred shock and outrage in much of the U.S., but it was not entirely surprising to Muslims in North Texas.

What many people — all the way up to the White House — saw as an overreaction to a young boy's ingenuity struck a familiar chord with many in the growing Muslim community in the greater Irving area, where Muslims say a series of incidents and Islamophobic rhetoric has taken root in recent years. That, they say, has fed into a collective suspicion and fear that this week ensnared Mohamed.

"This is part of a broader pattern," Sahar Aziz, a professor and researcher at Texas A&M University School of Law, told BuzzFeed News. "This is an example of why it matters when you have national or state-level events that demonize Muslims as terrorists, and how that can impact individual lives."

Anti-Islamic sentiment spiked in Irving, Texas, and across the nation shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On Sept. 12 that year, six bullets were shot at the local mosque.

In the years since, the targeting subsided, but Muslim professionals and Irving leaders say they've seen a resurgence recently in their North Texas community. From Facebook posts and hiring practices to disparaging public comments made by city and school leaders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Muslim residents say incidents like that 14-year-old Mohamed faced are becoming all too commonplace.

With a population just shy of 230,000 residents, Irving sits about 11 miles east of Dallas, a city five times its size. Irving residents are used to its larger neighbor taking the national spotlight, but that changed earlier this week with Mohamed's arrest.

Muslims in Irving have faced false rumors that Sharia was being implemented, and disparaging comments from city and school officials have helped spread hate and fear, said Khalid Hamideh, an attorney and spokesman for the North Texas Islamic Association.

"I can tell you without a doubt that the incidents of Islamophobia have increased," Hamideh, who also represents imams at Irving's Islamic Tribunal, told BuzzFeed News. "It all relates back to the manufacture of hate and fear by elected officials."

On May 3, anti-Islamic activist Pam Geller held a "draw Muhammad" contest in the city of Garland, about 20 miles east of Irving. Muslims believe it is an insult to draw the Prophet Muhammad, so the event was denounced as an effort to incite protest and possibly violence.

Two gunmen did end up opening fire on security guards at the event, but were killed almost immediately. ISIS supporters later claimed responsibility for the attack, but even though the gunmen traveled from out of state, Irving residents say they have faced the ensuing consequences — Islamophobia.

The crime scene in Garland, Texas, after the shooting attack.

Brandon Wade / AP

Then in September, when the president of the Garland Independent School District dressed in African garb during a graduation ceremony, Supt. Bob Morrison commented that he was "lucky with the Garland PD here, dressed like that, that bad things didn't happen to him out in the parking lot."

The comments were made at the Curtis Culwell Center, the place where Geller had held her Prophet Muhammad drawing event. (Morrison later apologized for his comments.)

Some pointed to the Garland shooting as the source for much of the recent anti-Muslim sentiment, but others said it was visible well before then.

In February, news of a Islamic tribunal in Irving sparked fears that its members were seeking to implement Sharia, though members of the tribunal explained they were there to provide voluntary, religious, nonbinding guidance to the community in matters such as divorce, family, and business disputes. The tribunal would act similarly to Christian and Jewish religious leaders who offer guidance.

But that didn't stop Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne to ask the city council to pass a measure supporting a state bill known as the "American Laws for American Courts," which according to supporters would keep "foreign laws" from being recognized in Texas.

The measure brought protesters to City Hall who called it a thinly veiled jab at Islam. They also said it was only stroking public fears of Sharia being implemented within the city.

It also placed Van Duyne in the national spotlight.

Though she pointed out that the bill did not mention Islam or the tribunal, she got a popular boost shortly after she posted on Facebook that she would work with state legislators to "clarify and strengthen" prohibitions of "foreign law."

"If it is determined that there are violations of basic rights occurring," Van Duyne wrote, "I will not stand idle and will fight with every fiber of my being against this action."

Van Duyne was criticized for the post, which she has stated was wrongly interpreted as anti-Islamic. But with the national spotlight already trained on her, the mayor was invited to speak with a range of conservative icons, such as Glenn Beck and Dana Loesch from The Blaze.

Van Duyne read the post like part of a stump speech at speaking engagements, pausing between lines and punctuating the end for the expected applause from friendly audiences.

"The mayor should be focusing on economic development and lifting education in this city, but instead she's being divisive," Tariq Jaffery, who works with the Texas Democratic party mobilizing Muslim voters, told BuzzFeed News. "And this is not the first time we've had problems like this."

Lm Otero / AP

Van Duyne, who did not respond to request for comment, has said her support for the bill has nothing to do with Islam, yet has often pointed to the tribunal to explain her popularity.

"I think you need to put your foot down and say, 'This is America,'" she told Glenn Beck.

In another interview on June 23, she said her intent was not to offend members of the mosque and decried the response to her support.

"We were called racists, we were hateful, we were bigots," she said. "It was ridiculous."

Later in the interview, she criticized lawmakers who weren't supporting the bill.

"I think one, that you have elected officials that don't respect what we have in our country," she said. "They're seeing the destruction of our culture, and that bothers me."

There are no hard numbers as to how many Muslims live in the Dallas-Fort-Worth area, but there are clear indicators that the community is steadily growing — and growing more active.

Hamideh, who is also an attorney for imams at the Islamic Tribunal, said there are likely between 300,000 to 600,000 Muslims living in North Texas.

A Texas resident for decades, he remembers that in the 1980s the only mosque in the area was in Richardson. Today, there are 27 mosques, with many of them seeing about 5,000 people for Friday prayer.

Richardson Police sit in front of the Islamic Association of North Texas mosque in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas.

Lm Otero / AP

"The number of Muslims have expanded by leaps and bounds," Hamideh said.

Aisha U-Kiu, president of the American Muslim Professionals of Dallas, points to her own organization. Founded in 2012 with 35 members, it has since grown to more than 300.

Though her organization deals more with networking and opportunities for professionals, she often hears from professional Muslims in the area who have concerns about anti-Islamic sentiment, including women who struggle to find jobs because they wear hijabs — which cover the head but show the face.

"The environment is really getting more hostile," she said.

U-Kiu remembers the anti-Islamic sentiment shortly after 9/11, but said she remembers a diverse, unified, and accepting student body in MacArthur High School when she graduated as valedictorian in 2004 — the same high school where Mohamed was suspended for bringing his clock.

It wasn't until during and after college that U-Kiu noticed a lack of diversity on campuses and in the workplace, but groups like Muslim student associations helped build connections and support, she told BuzzFeed News.

In recent years, not only are more Muslims moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, they are organizing and becoming politically and professionally active, U-Kiu said.

"Our parents came and established the religious foundations," she said, referring to community hubs in mosques. "Now I feel that as the next generation of Muslim Americans, it's on us to build on that and improve it."

Aziz, the professor and researcher at Texas A&M, said that growth might be part of the growing xenophobia faced not just by Muslims, but all immigrants in the state.

"When groups start to get large enough and hit a critical mass, they start to be viewed as more threatening," Aziz told BuzzFeed News. "At the same time, you're not having a commensurate growth of political power by these minorities."

It's a problem that stretches across the U.S., Aziz said.

Brandon Wade / AP

Many hope that as the Muslim population grows and becomes more politically active, incidents like what happened to Mohamed will become less frequent. The fact that Ahmed and his family spoke out also helped to serve as an example to other Muslims in the future, Hamideh said.

The challenges they face is also serving to unite a Muslim community that is itself diverse, he added.

"The irony is that this discrimination that we're seeing against Muslims is in fact helping them unite and overcome those differences," Hamideh said. "In fact, you're seeing more mobilization with time."

]]>Salvador Hernandezhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/salvadorhernandez/ahmed-mohameds-homemade-clock-arrest-shocked-a-nation-but-noThu, 17 Sep 2015 19:39:14 -0400Muslims in North Texas say the arrest of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed in Irving for bringing to school what teachers thought could be a fake bomb is just the latest example of growing Islamophobia in the area.salvadorhernandeznonadult
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-09/17/18/enhanced/webdr04/enhanced-mid-16395-1442528133-1.jpg" width="720" height="446" alt="" /></p>
<p>Ahmed Mohamed, 14, gestures as he arrives to his family&#39;s home.</p>
<p><small>Lm Otero / AP</small></p>
<p>The image of 14-year-old Ahmed Mohamed at school &mdash; a NASA shirt over his thin frame, his arms handcuffed over fears his homemade clock was a fake bomb &mdash; may have spurred shock and outrage in much of the U.S., but it was not entirely surprising to Muslims in North Texas.</p><p>What many people &mdash; all the way up to the White House &mdash; saw as an overreaction to a young boy&#39;s ingenuity struck a familiar chord with many in the growing Muslim community in the greater Irving area, where Muslims say a series of incidents and Islamophobic rhetoric has taken root in recent years. That, they say, has fed into a collective suspicion and fear that this week ensnared Mohamed.</p>
<p>"This is part of a broader pattern," Sahar Aziz, a professor and researcher at Texas A&amp;M University School of Law, told BuzzFeed News. "This is an example of why it matters when you have national or state-level events that demonize Muslims as terrorists, and how that can impact individual lives."</p><p>Anti-Islamic sentiment spiked in Irving, Texas, and across the nation shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. On Sept. 12 that year, six bullets were shot at the local mosque.</p><p>In the years since, the targeting subsided, but Muslim professionals and Irving leaders say they&#39;ve seen a resurgence recently in their North Texas community. From Facebook posts and hiring practices to disparaging public comments made by city and school leaders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Muslim residents say incidents like that 14-year-old Mohamed faced are becoming all too commonplace.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-09/17/16/enhanced/webdr10/enhanced-mid-24071-1442522977-2.jpg" width="720" height="503" alt="" /></p>
<p>Nearly a thousand protestors gather outside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.</p>
<p><small>Tony Gutierrez / AP</small></p>
<p>With a population just shy of 230,000 residents, Irving sits about 11 miles east of Dallas, a city five times its size. Irving residents are used to its larger neighbor taking the national spotlight, but that changed earlier this week with Mohamed&#39;s arrest.</p><p>Muslims in Irving have faced false rumors that Sharia was being implemented, and disparaging comments from city and school officials have helped spread hate and fear, said Khalid Hamideh, an attorney and spokesman for the North Texas Islamic Association.</p><p>"I can tell you without a doubt that the incidents of Islamophobia have increased," Hamideh, who also represents imams at Irving&#39;s Islamic Tribunal, told BuzzFeed News. "It all relates back to the manufacture of hate and fear by elected officials."</p><p>On May 3, anti-Islamic activist Pam Geller held a "draw Muhammad" contest in the city of Garland, about 20 miles east of Irving. Muslims believe it is an insult to draw the Prophet Muhammad, so the event was denounced as an effort to incite protest and possibly violence.</p><p><a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeednews/shooting-at-prophet-muhammad-drawing-contest-texas-police#.cu7DdwReR">Two gunmen did end up opening fire on security guards</a> at the event, but were killed almost immediately. ISIS supporters later claimed responsibility for the attack, but even though the gunmen traveled from out of state, Irving residents say they have faced the ensuing consequences &mdash; Islamophobia.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-09/17/16/enhanced/webdr10/enhanced-mid-19864-1442522181-4.jpg" width="720" height="410" alt="" /></p>
<p>The crime scene in Garland, Texas, after the shooting attack.</p>
<p><small>Brandon Wade / AP</small></p>
<p>Then in September, when the president of the Garland Independent School District dressed in African garb during a graduation ceremony, Supt. Bob Morrison commented that he was "lucky with the Garland PD here, dressed like that, that bad things didn&#39;t happen to him out in the parking lot."</p><p>The comments were made at the Curtis Culwell Center, the place where Geller had held her Prophet Muhammad drawing event. (Morrison <a href="http://www.wfaa.com/story/news/local/dallas-county/2015/08/31/garland-superintendent-apologizes-anti-muslim-remark/71498538/">later apologized</a> for his comments.)</p><p>Some pointed to the Garland shooting as the source for much of the recent anti-Muslim sentiment, but others said it was visible well before then.</p><p>In February, news of a Islamic tribunal in Irving sparked fears that its members were seeking to implement Sharia, though members of the tribunal explained they were there to provide voluntary, religious, nonbinding guidance to the community in matters such as divorce, family, and business disputes. The tribunal would act similarly to Christian and Jewish religious leaders who offer guidance.</p><p>But that didn&#39;t stop Irving Mayor Beth Van Duyne to <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/northwest-dallas-county/headlines/20150319-national-islamic-furor-focuses-on-irving-vote-tonight.ece">ask the city council to pass a measure supporting</a> a state bill known as the "American Laws for American Courts," which according to supporters would keep "foreign laws" from being recognized in Texas.</p><p>The measure brought protesters to City Hall who called it a thinly veiled jab at Islam. They also said it was only stroking public fears of Sharia being implemented within the city.</p><p>It also placed Van Duyne in the national spotlight.</p><p>Though she pointed out that the bill did not mention Islam or the tribunal, she got a popular boost shortly after she posted on Facebook that she would work with state legislators to "clarify and strengthen" prohibitions of "foreign law."</p><p>"If it is determined that there are violations of basic rights occurring," Van Duyne wrote, "I will not stand idle and will fight with every fiber of my being against this action."</p>
<p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.vanduyne/posts/10205051547001480" target="_blank">View Video &rsaquo;</a></p>
<p><small><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/beth.vanduyne/posts/10205051547001480">Facebook: beth.vanduyne</a></small></p>
<p>Van Duyne was criticized for the post, which she has stated was wrongly interpreted as anti-Islamic. But with the national spotlight already trained on her, the mayor was invited to speak with a range of conservative icons, such as Glenn Beck and Dana Loesch from <i>The Blaze</i>.</p><p>Van Duyne <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKO6eMJItMc">read the post</a> like part of a stump speech at speaking engagements, pausing between lines and punctuating the end for the expected applause from friendly audiences.</p><p>"The mayor should be focusing on economic development and lifting education in this city, but instead she&#39;s being divisive," Tariq Jaffery, who works with the Texas Democratic party mobilizing Muslim voters, told BuzzFeed News. "And this is not the first time we&#39;ve had problems like this."<br /></p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-09/17/17/enhanced/webdr07/longform-8189-1442524113-15.jpg" width="300" height="510" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>Lm Otero / AP</small></p>
<p>Van Duyne, who did not respond to request for comment, has said her support for the bill has nothing to do with Islam, yet has often pointed to the tribunal to explain her popularity.</p><p>"I think you need to put your foot down and say, &#39;This is America,&#39;" she <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVK0DsXNA84">told Glenn Beck</a>.</p><p>In another interview on June 23, she said her intent was not to offend members of the mosque and decried the response to her support.</p><p>"We were called racists, we were hateful, we were bigots," <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IXjlANFF4aI">she said</a>. "It was ridiculous."</p><p>Later in the interview, she criticized lawmakers who weren&#39;t supporting the bill.</p><p>"I think one, that you have elected officials that don&#39;t respect what we have in our country," she said. "They&#39;re seeing the destruction of our culture, and that bothers me."</p><p>There are no hard numbers as to how many Muslims live in the Dallas-Fort-Worth area, but there are clear indicators that the community is steadily growing &mdash; and growing more active.</p><p>Hamideh, who is also an attorney for imams at the Islamic Tribunal, said there are likely between 300,000 to 600,000 Muslims living in North Texas.</p><p>A Texas resident for decades, he remembers that in the 1980s the only mosque in the area was in Richardson. Today, there are 27 mosques, with many of them seeing about 5,000 people for Friday prayer.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-09/17/16/enhanced/webdr08/longform-4683-1442523186-2.jpg" width="300" height="178" alt="" /></p>
<p>Richardson Police sit in front of the Islamic Association of North Texas mosque in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas.</p>
<p><small>Lm Otero / AP</small></p>
<p>"The number of Muslims have expanded by leaps and bounds," Hamideh said.</p><p>Aisha U-Kiu, president of the American Muslim Professionals of Dallas, points to her own organization. Founded in 2012 with 35 members, it has since grown to more than 300.</p><p>Though her organization deals more with networking and opportunities for professionals, she often hears from professional Muslims in the area who have concerns about anti-Islamic sentiment, including women who struggle to find jobs because they wear hijabs &mdash; which cover the head but show the face.</p><p>"The environment is really getting more hostile," she said.<br /></p><p>U-Kiu remembers the anti-Islamic sentiment shortly after 9/11, but said she remembers a diverse, unified, and accepting student body in MacArthur High School when she graduated as valedictorian in 2004 &mdash; the same high school where Mohamed was suspended for bringing his clock.</p><p>It wasn&#39;t until during and after college that U-Kiu noticed a lack of diversity on campuses and in the workplace, but groups like Muslim student associations helped build connections and support, she told BuzzFeed News.</p><p>In recent years, not only are more Muslims moving to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, they are organizing and becoming politically and professionally active, U-Kiu said.</p><p>"Our parents came and established the religious foundations," she said, referring to community hubs in mosques. "Now I feel that as the next generation of Muslim Americans, it&#39;s on us to build on that and improve it."</p><p>Aziz, the professor and researcher at Texas A&amp;M, said that growth might be part of the growing xenophobia faced not just by Muslims, but all immigrants in the state.</p><p>"When groups start to get large enough and hit a critical mass, they start to be viewed as more threatening," Aziz told BuzzFeed News. "At the same time, you&#39;re not having a commensurate growth of political power by these minorities."</p><p>It&#39;s a problem that stretches across the U.S., Aziz said.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-09/17/17/enhanced/webdr05/enhanced-mid-20267-1442524340-7.jpg" width="720" height="536" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>Brandon Wade / AP</small></p>
<p>Many hope that as the Muslim population grows and becomes more politically active, incidents like what happened to Mohamed will become less frequent. The fact that Ahmed and his family spoke out also helped to serve as an example to other Muslims in the future, Hamideh said.</p><p>The challenges they face is also serving to unite a Muslim community that is itself diverse, he added.</p><p>"The irony is that this discrimination that we&#39;re seeing against Muslims is in fact helping them unite and overcome those differences," Hamideh said. "In fact, you&#39;re seeing more mobilization with time."</p>
<p><strong>LINK:</strong> <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/stephaniemcneal/teen-arrested-for-bringing-a-homemade-clock-to-school-now-ha" rel="nofollow">Teen Arrested For Bringing Homemade Clock To School Now Has A Ton Of Famous Fans</a></p>
<p><small></small></p>
<p><strong>LINK:</strong> <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/leticiamiranda/teen-arrested-for-bringing-homemade-clock-to-school-has-no-r" rel="nofollow">Teen Arrested For Bringing Homemade Clock To School Has No Regrets</a></p>
<p><small></small></p>
<p><br /></p>
<p><small></small></p>
nonadultThe crime scene in Garland, Texas, after the shooting attack.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultNearly a thousand protestors gather outside the Curtis Culwell Center in Garland, Texas.nonadultRichardson Police sit in front of the Islamic Association of North Texas mosque in the Dallas suburb of Richardson, Texas.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultPeople Are Taking Pictures Of Themselves With Clocks To Show Solidarity With Ahmedhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/husseinkesvani/people-are-taking-pictures-of-themselves-with-clocks-to-show?utm_term=4ldqpia
Mohamed, 14, was arrested in his school in Irving, Texas, after a digital clock he made as a science project was mistaken for a bomb.

Ahmed Mohamed, 14, was arrested Tuesday in Irving, Texas after he brought a clock he made to school and teachers mistook it for a bomb.

]]>Hussein Kesvanihttps://www.buzzfeed.com/husseinkesvani/people-are-taking-pictures-of-themselves-with-clocks-to-showWed, 16 Sep 2015 14:21:31 -0400Mohamed, 14, was arrested in his school in Irving, Texas, after a digital clock he made as a science project was mistaken for a bomb.husseinkesvaninonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultTeen Arrested For Bringing Clock To School: "Don't Let People Change Who You Are"https://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/texas-student-arrested-after-being-accused-of-making-a-hoax?utm_term=4ldqpia
President Obama came out in support of Ahmed Mohamed last Wednesday after the Texas student was arrested for bringing a home made clock to school.

A 14-year-old student in Irving, Texas, was arrested and suspended last Tuesday from school after bringing a homemade clock to his high school that teachers suspected could be a "hoax bomb."

Ahmed Mohamed, a ninth-grader at MacArthur High School, said he loves inventing things and hoped the clock he made over the weekend would impress his teachers.

The incident caused an uproar nationwide, with President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly supporting Ahmed. Many people have shown solidarity with the hashtag #istandwithahmed and posting photos of themselves with clocks and watches.

"I'm the person who built a clock and got in a lot of trouble for it," Ahmed said at a news conference last Wednesday with his family, saying he planned to transfer from his high school.

"Don't let people change who you are," he said.

When asked if he was overwhelmed with the support he received on social media, he said, "I felt pretty down that no one would know about this...it made me seem really happy."

The homemade clock that Ahmed Mohamed brought to school.

Irving Police via AP

At least three teachers last Monday were suspicious enough of the electronic device to report it, according to police.

"Police determined on-site the package was not a bomb and did not evacuate the school," said Chief Larry Boyd with the Irving Police Department at a press conference last Wednesday. "But an investigation needed to be conducted relative to a hoax bomb with the intent to cause alarm."

The department ended its investigation last Wednesday and found Mohamed "did not have the intent to cause alarm and, therefore, will not be pressing any charges."

Mohamed toldThe Dallas Morning News last Tuesday he first showed the clock to his engineering teacher Monday morning. The teacher advised him "not to show any other teachers," so he decided to keep it in his bag.

Later, an English teacher heard the clock's alarm beep during a lesson. After class Mohamed showed it to the teacher.

"She was like, 'It looks like a bomb,'" he said. "I told her, 'It doesn't look like a bomb to me.'"

The school then called police, and the principal and an officer pulled Mohamed out of class. He was then questioned and taken away in handcuffs to juvenile detention to be fingerprinted.

In an interview on All in with Chris Hayes on MSNBC, Mohamed said that when he asked police if he could call his parents, "They said, 'No, you can't call your parents. You're in the middle of an interrogation at the moment.'"

The 14-year-old said he was questioned for nearly an hour and a half.

Mohamed also recalled during the interview, which aired last Wednesday night, that one of the officers sat down in what he called "the interrogation room" at the school, looked at him and said, "That's who I thought it was."

"It made me feel like I wasn't human," he said to The Dallas Morning News. "It made me feel like a criminal."

The school's principal suspended Mohamed for three days over the "hoax bomb," which his father, Elhassan Mohamed, told The Dallas Morning News was an example of Islamophobia. The Irving Independent School District declined to comment on the suspension citing student privacy laws.

Mohamed was allowed to return to school last Friday but he said last Wednesday that he's looking to transfer schools. The school district confirmed to the Dallas Morning News that his father met with the superintendent on Monday to pull him out of the district entirely.

The Dallas branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it is investigating the incident.

"This all raises a red flag for us: how Irving's government entities are operating in the current climate," Alia Salem, executive director of the chapter told the paper.

Irving police told NBC DFW school officials were suspicious of the clock and acted out of caution.

"The student had only said it was a clock and was not forthcoming at that time about any other details," said Chief Boyd last Wednesday. "Having no other information to go on, the student was taken into custody for possession of a hoax bomb."

Texas law considers a person guilty of possessing a hoax bomb if the device is intended to cause public alarm or "a reaction of any type by law enforcement officers," according to a statement from the Irving Police Department. The department says Mohamed was handcuffed as standard procedure for his own safety and the safety of the officers.

"The Irving Police Department has always experienced an outstanding relationship with the Muslim community," said Chief Boyd at last Wednesday's press conference. "We recognize situations like this present challenges, but we are committed to continuing to build a positive relationship."

Chief Boyd planned to meet with Mohamed's father last Wednesday to discuss the arrest.

In a letter addressed to parents last Tuesday, principal Daniel Cummings wrote that the police "responded to a suspicious-looking item on campus yesterday." He assured parents that even though the item did "not post a threat to your child's safety," the school "will always take necessary steps" to keep their children safe. He did not mention that the item was a homemade digital clock.

Irving City Mayor Beth Van Duyne originally said in a statement posted to Facebook last Wednesday that the school was following the required protocols when there is "a possible threat or criminal act."

"We have all seen terrible and violent acts committed in schools, the workplace, and in public venues," she said. "Perhaps some of those could have been prevented and lives could have been spared if people were more vigilant. I hope this incident does not serve as a deterrent against our police and school personnel from maintaining the safety and security of our schools."

The Mayor then edited the post about an hour later. "As a parent, I agree that if this happened to my child I would be very upset," she said. "It is my sincere desire that Irving ISD students are encouraged to use their creativity, develop innovations and explore their interests in a manner that fosters higher learning. Hopefully, we can all learn from this week's events and the student, who has obvious gifts, will not feel at all discouraged from pursuing his talent in electronics and engineering."

Irving City Councilman David Palmer said last Tuesday he was taken aback by the school's reaction to Mohamed's invention.

"I'm just surprised that it got to the point of someone being taken to jail over this," he told BuzzFeed News.

Mohamed's arrest and suspension has caught national attention as the family began to tweet last Wednesday under the handle @IStandWithAhmed. President Obama and US Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton have both responded to news about Mohamed's arrest and suspension.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also stood by Ahmed, and invited him to visit the company.

At the end of the MSNBC interview last Wednesday night, Hayes brought on Massachusetts Institute of Technology astrophysicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. According to Hayes, MIT is Mohamed's dream school.

Prescod-Weinstein told Mohamed she considered him an "ideal student."

"A creative, independent thinker like you is the kind of person who should be becoming a physicist," she said, before inviting him for a tour of the institute.

Irving Independent School District spokesperson Lesley Weaver would not discuss details of the case to media last Wednesday but defended the school explaining that it took necessary safety protocols.

"If something is out of the ordinary, the information should be reported immediately to a school administrator and/or the police so it can be addressed right away," she said. "We will always take necessary precautions to protect our students and keep our school community as safe as possible."

]]>Michelle Broder Van Dykehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/texas-student-arrested-after-being-accused-of-making-a-hoaxWed, 16 Sep 2015 03:14:15 -0400President Obama came out in support of Ahmed Mohamed last Wednesday after the Texas student was arrested for bringing a home made clock to school.mbvdnonadultnonadultA 14-year-old student in Irving, Texas, was arrested and suspended last Tuesday from school after bringing a homemade clock to his high school that teachers suspected could be a "hoax bomb."
Ahmed Mohamed, a ninth-grader at MacArthur High School, said he loves inventing things and hoped the clock he made over the weekend would impress his teachers.
The incident caused an uproar nationwide, with President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg publicly supporting Ahmed. Many people have shown <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/husseinkesvani/people-are-taking-pictures-of-themselves-with-clocks-to-show">solidarity</a> with the hashtag #istandwithahmed and posting photos of themselves with clocks and watches.
"I'm the person who built a clock and got in a lot of trouble for it," Ahmed said at a news conference last Wednesday with his family, saying he planned to transfer from his high school.
"Don't let people change who you are," he said.
When asked if he was overwhelmed with the support he received on social media, he said, "I felt pretty down that no one would know about this...it made me seem really happy."nonadultThe homemade clock that Ahmed Mohamed brought to school.nonadultAt least three teachers last Monday were suspicious enough of the electronic device to report it, <a href="http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Irving-Student-Says-Hes-Falsely-Accused-of-Making-a-Hoax-Bomb-327794401.html">according</a> to police.
"Police determined on-site the package was not a bomb and did not evacuate the school," said Chief Larry Boyd with the Irving Police Department at a press conference last Wednesday. "But an investigation needed to be conducted relative to a hoax bomb with the intent to cause alarm."
The department ended its investigation last Wednesday and found Mohamed "did not have the intent to cause alarm and, therefore, will not be pressing any charges."nonadultMohamed <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/northwest-dallas-county/headlines/20150915-irving-ninth-grader-arrested-after-taking-homemade-clock-to-school.ece">told</a> <i>The Dallas Morning News</i> last Tuesday he first showed the clock to his engineering teacher Monday morning. The teacher advised him "not to show any other teachers," so he decided to keep it in his bag.
Later, an English teacher heard the clock's alarm beep during a lesson. After class Mohamed showed it to the teacher.
"She was like, 'It looks like a bomb,'" he said. "I told her, 'It doesn't look like a bomb to me.'"
The school then called police, and the principal and an officer pulled Mohamed out of class. He was then questioned and taken away in handcuffs to juvenile detention to be fingerprinted.
In an <a href="http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/all-in-exclusive-with-ahmed-mohamed-526948931844">interview</a> on <i>All in with Chris Hayes</i> on MSNBC, Mohamed said that when he asked police if he could call his parents, "They said, 'No, you can't call your parents. You're in the middle of an interrogation at the moment.'"
The 14-year-old said he was questioned for nearly an hour and a half.
Mohamed also recalled during the interview, which aired last Wednesday night, that one of the officers sat down in what he called "the interrogation room" at the school, looked at him and said, "That's who I thought it was."
"It made me feel like I wasn't human," he <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mW4w0Y1OXE">said</a> to <i>The Dallas Morning News</i>. "It made me feel like a criminal."nonadultnonadultThe school's principal suspended Mohamed for three days over the "hoax bomb," which his father, Elhassan Mohamed, told <i>The Dallas Morning News</i> was an example of Islamophobia. The Irving Independent School District declined to comment on the suspension citing student privacy laws.
Mohamed was allowed to return to school last Friday but he said last Wednesday that he's looking to transfer schools. The school district <a href="http://irvingblog.dallasnews.com/2015/09/family-ahmed-withdraws-from-irving-isd-eyes-trips-to-new-york-and-mecca.html/">confirmed</a> to the <i>Dallas Morning News</i> that his father met with the superintendent on Monday to pull him out of the district entirely.
The Dallas branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said it is investigating the incident.
"This all raises a red flag for us: how Irving's government entities are operating in the current climate," Alia Salem, executive director of the chapter told the paper.
Irving police told <a href="http://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Irving-Student-Says-Hes-Falsely-Accused-of-Making-a-Hoax-Bomb-327794401.html">NBC DFW</a> school officials were suspicious of the clock and acted out of caution.
"The student had only said it was a clock and was not forthcoming at that time about any other details," said Chief Boyd last Wednesday. "Having no other information to go on, the student was taken into custody for possession of a hoax bomb."
Texas law considers a person guilty of possessing a hoax bomb if the device is intended to cause public alarm or "a reaction of any type by law enforcement officers," according to a statement from the Irving Police Department. The department says Mohamed was handcuffed as standard procedure for his own safety and the safety of the officers.
"The Irving Police Department has always experienced an outstanding relationship with the Muslim community," said Chief Boyd at last Wednesday's press conference. "We recognize situations like this present challenges, but we are committed to continuing to build a positive relationship."
Chief Boyd planned to meet with Mohamed's father last Wednesday to discuss the arrest.nonadultnonadultIn a <a href="http://www.irvingisd.net/cms/lib010/TX01917973/Centricity/Domain/9/ParentLetter_SuspiciousLookingItematMacArthur.pdf?utm_content=bufferfca92&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter.com&amp;utm_campaign=buffer">letter addressed to parents</a> last Tuesday, principal Daniel Cummings wrote that the police "responded to a suspicious-looking item on campus yesterday." He assured parents that even though the item did "not post a threat to your child's safety," the school "will always take necessary steps" to keep their children safe. He did not mention that the item was a homemade digital clock.
Irving City Mayor Beth Van Duyne originally said in a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BethVanDuyneTX/posts/1630225133900704">statement</a> posted to Facebook last Wednesday that the school was following the required protocols when there is "a possible threat or criminal act."
"We have all seen terrible and violent acts committed in schools, the workplace, and in public venues," she said. "Perhaps some of those could have been prevented and lives could have been spared if people were more vigilant. I hope this incident does not serve as a deterrent against our police and school personnel from maintaining the safety and security of our schools."
The Mayor then edited the post about an hour later. "As a parent, I agree that if this happened to my child I would be very upset," she said. "It is my sincere desire that Irving ISD students are encouraged to use their creativity, develop innovations and explore their interests in a manner that fosters higher learning. Hopefully, we can all learn from this week's events and the student, who has obvious gifts, will not feel at all discouraged from pursuing his talent in electronics and engineering."nonadultnonadultIrving City Councilman David Palmer said last Tuesday he was taken aback by the school's reaction to Mohamed's invention.
"I'm just surprised that it got to the point of someone being taken to jail over this," he told BuzzFeed News.
Mohamed's arrest and suspension has caught national attention as the family began to tweet last Wednesday under the handle <a href="https://twitter.com/IStandWithAhmed">@IStandWithAhmed</a>. President Obama and US Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton have both responded to news about Mohamed's arrest and suspension.nonadultnonadultnonadultFacebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg also stood by Ahmed, and invited him to visit the company.nonadultnonadultAt the end of the MSNBC interview last Wednesday night, Hayes brought on Massachusetts Institute of Technology astrophysicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein. According to Hayes, MIT is Mohamed's dream school.
Prescod-Weinstein told Mohamed she considered him an "ideal student."
"A creative, independent thinker like you is the kind of person who should be becoming a physicist," she said, before inviting him for a tour of the institute.nonadultnonadultIrving Independent School District spokesperson Lesley Weaver would not discuss details of the case to media last Wednesday but defended the school explaining that it took necessary safety protocols.
"If something is out of the ordinary, the information should be reported immediately to a school administrator and/or the police so it can be addressed right away," she said. "We will always take necessary precautions to protect our students and keep our school community as safe as possible."nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultThree Americans Among At Least 12 Killed In Afghan Car Bombinghttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/three-americans-among-at-least-12-killed-in-afghan?utm_term=4ldqpia

Massoud Hossain / AP Photo

A car bomb targeted a NATO convoy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 12 people, including three U.S. civilian contractors, officials told BuzzFeed News.

The suicide attack occurred in central Kabul around 4:20 p.m. local time and targeted a convoy of vehicles with Resolute Support, a NATO-led mission that now operates in Afghanistan following the expiration of the International Security Assistance Force mission at the end of 2014.

"One Resolute Support contracted civilian was killed in the attack and two others died of wounds as a result of the attack," U.S. Army Col. Brian Tribus, the director of Resolute Support public affairs, said in an emailed statement. "We are gathering further information."

Mohammad Ismail / Reuters

Resolute Support officials said one of the U.S. contractors died at the scene and two others died from their wounds as a result of the "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack."

An Afghan health official said nine locals were also killed in the blast, according to the BBC. More than 60 others were reportedly wounded.

CBS News reported the Taliban denied responsibility for the attack, but the group has struck Kabul with attacks in recent months.

Ahmad Masood / Reuters

"A lot of dead bodies and wounded victims were there after the explosion happened in the area," Mohammad Hussain, who was wounded in the attack, told CBS News. "There were a lot of casualties."

]]>David Mackhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/three-americans-among-at-least-12-killed-in-afghanSat, 22 Aug 2015 14:55:25 -0400The three dead Americans worked as civilian contractors for the NATO-led mission in Afghanistan. At least nine Afghan civilians also lost their lives in the attack.davidmacknonadult
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-08/22/13/enhanced/webdr15/enhanced-mid-28796-1440265160-5.jpg" width="720" height="459" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>Massoud Hossain / AP Photo</small></p>
<p>A car bomb targeted a NATO convoy in the Afghan capital Kabul on Saturday, killing at least 12 people, including three U.S. civilian contractors, officials told BuzzFeed News.</p><p>The suicide attack occurred in central Kabul around 4:20 p.m. local time and targeted a convoy of vehicles with Resolute Support, a NATO-led mission that now operates in Afghanistan following the expiration of the International Security Assistance Force mission at the end of 2014.</p><p>"One Resolute Support contracted civilian was killed in the attack and two others died of wounds as a result of the attack," U.S. Army Col. Brian Tribus, the director of Resolute Support public affairs, said in an emailed statement. "We are gathering further information."</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-08/22/13/enhanced/webdr02/enhanced-mid-14038-1440265896-1.jpg" width="720" height="487" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>Mohammad Ismail / Reuters</small></p>
<p>Resolute Support officials said one of the U.S. contractors died at the scene and two others died from their wounds as a result of the "vehicle-borne improvised explosive device attack."</p><p>An Afghan health official said nine locals were also killed in the blast, according to the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34027065">BBC</a>. More than 60 others were <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-explosion-kabul-us-embassy/">reportedly</a> wounded.</p><p><a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/afghanistan-explosion-kabul-us-embassy/">CBS News</a> reported the Taliban denied responsibility for the attack, but the group has struck Kabul with attacks in recent months.</p>
<p><img src="https://img.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeed-static/static/2015-08/22/13/enhanced/webdr12/enhanced-mid-15175-1440265927-6.jpg" width="720" height="504" alt="" /></p>
<p><small>Ahmad Masood / Reuters</small></p>
<p>"A lot of dead bodies and wounded victims were there after the explosion happened in the area," Mohammad Hussain, who was wounded in the attack, told CBS News. "There were a lot of casualties."</p>
<iframe width="560" height="349" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V6TcURmC3Oo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
<p><small><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=V6TcURmC3Oo">youtube.com</a></small></p>
<p><small></small></p>
nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadult8 Soldiers Killed By Roadside Bomb In Turkeyhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/franciswhittaker/8-soldiers-killed-by-roadside-bomb-in-turkey?utm_term=4ldqpia
The state news agency said an armored vehicle was hit in southeastern Siirt province.

At least 8 Turkish soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing Wednesday in Siirt province in the south east of the country, the state-run Andalou Agency reported.

The bombing comes amid fresh clashes between Turkish security forces and militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which have killed dozens since July, including many police and service personnel.

Also on Wednesday, a policeman was slightly injured in a gun attack at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Andalou Agency said. It is not known if the two attacks are connected.

]]>Francis Whittakerhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/franciswhittaker/8-soldiers-killed-by-roadside-bomb-in-turkeyWed, 19 Aug 2015 11:20:47 -0400The state news agency said an armored vehicle was hit in southeastern Siirt province.franciswhittakernonadultA Turkish armoured vehicle patrols at the Turkish-Syrian border area, Oct. 2014.nonadultThe soldiers were traveling along the Siirt-Pervari highway when their armored vehicle was attacked, according to the provincial governor's office.
The bomb was detonated by remote control, they <a href="http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/577613--turkey-8-soldiers-die-in-bomb-attack-in-southeast">said.</a>
The bombing comes amid fresh clashes between Turkish security forces and militants from the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which have killed dozens since July, including many police and service personnel.
Also on Wednesday, a policeman was slightly injured in a gun attack at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul, Andalou Agency <a href="http://www.aa.com.tr/en/headline/577639--istanbul-dolmabahce-attack-injures-1-policeman-2-held">said.</a> It is not known if the two attacks are connected.nonadultExplosion On Rhode Island Beach That Injured One Wasn't A Malicious Event, Authorities Sayhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/emaoconnor/rhode-island-beach-blast?utm_term=4ldqpia
Officials originally investigated the incident as suspicious, but now say they don’t believe there is any threat to public safety.

However, after investigating further authorities said they don't believe the explosion was a malicious event.

"We believed there had been an explosion, a small explosion — sub-surface– that literally erupted out of the sand and virtually caused one of our beach patrons to ultimately fall backwards and forwards," Larry Mouradjian, with the Dept. of Environmental Management, said at a news conference.

"Something did happen but we are not sure exactly what," Mouradjian told the Providence Journal.

Authorities had been investigating a possible connection with a recent series of "suspicious" fires that sunk three fishing boats at a nearby pier on Friday, but later determined the incidents were not connected, WPIR reported.

Witnesses told local news sources that they saw her lawn chair fly directly into the air before she landed on a rock wall above the beach.

One witness, Mario Lewis, told the Providence Journal that the explosion looked like an "M-80 boom, like a grenade."

He added that despite that, it sounded to him like a gas explosion.

]]>Ema O&#39;Connorhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/emaoconnor/rhode-island-beach-blastSat, 11 Jul 2015 15:22:59 -0400Officials originally investigated the incident as suspicious, but now say they don't believe there is any threat to public safety.emaoconnornonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultHowever, after investigating further authorities said they don't believe the explosion was a malicious event.
"We believed there had been an explosion, a small explosion — sub-surface– that literally erupted out of the sand and virtually caused one of our beach patrons to ultimately fall backwards and forwards," Larry Mouradjian, with the Dept. of Environmental Management, said at a <a href="http://wpri.com/2015/07/11/report-explosion-at-salty-brine-beach/">news conference</a>.nonadultnonadult"Something did happen but we are not sure exactly what," Mouradjian told the <i>Providence Journal</i>.
Authorities had been investigating a possible connection with a recent series of "suspicious" fires that sunk three fishing boats at a nearby pier on Friday, but later determined the incidents were not connected, <a href="http://wpri.com/2015/07/11/report-explosion-at-salty-brine-beach/">WPIR</a> reported.nonadultWitnesses told local news sources that they saw her lawn chair fly directly into the air before she landed on a rock wall above the beach.
One witness, Mario Lewis, told the <i>Providence Journal</i> that the explosion looked like an "M-80 boom, like a grenade."
He added that despite that, it sounded to him like a gas explosion.nonadultBomb Squad Destroys Pressure Cooker Found Near U.S. Capitolhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/bomb-squad-destroys-pressure-cooker-found-near-us-capitol?utm_term=4ldqpia
Police said Sunday that Israel Shimeles was arrested after a bomb squad destroyed a pressure cooker and other items left in a “suspicious” car on the National Mall.

A bomb squad on Sunday successfully destroyed a pressure cooker that was located in a "suspicious" car close to the Capitol in Washington, D.C., said a U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman, according to the Associated Press.

The automobile was empty and left on the National Mall, Police Lt. Kimberly Schneider told the Associated Press. She said Capitol Police officers spotted the car around 5 p.m.

Schneider said that an odor of gasoline was detected along with a pressure cooker. She said the bomb squad was called because the automobile was "suspicious in nature."

The area along 3rd Street between Independence Avenue and Constitution Avenue was temporarily closed off while the bomb squad investigated on Sunday.

The area was closed off while the bomb squad known as the Hazardous Devices Section destroyed "items of concern in the vehicle including the pressure cooker."

She also told the AP that this included a controlled detonation of the items. A loud bang was heard around 7:45 p.m., according to the New York Times.

Nearby, a Memorial Day concert was held on Capitol west lawn, starring Gloria Estefan, with hundreds of people in attendance, FOX 5 DC reported.

The owner of the car was found and Schneider identified him as Israel Shimeles of Alexandria, Virginia. He was arrested by Capitol Police and charged with "Operating After Revocation."

Pressure cookers are used to make explosive devices and were used in the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings that killed three and wounded 260 people.

]]>Michelle Broder Van Dykehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/bomb-squad-destroys-pressure-cooker-found-near-us-capitolMon, 25 May 2015 02:51:21 -0400<b>Police said Sunday that Israel Shimeles was arrested after a bomb squad destroyed a pressure cooker and other items left in a "suspicious" car on the National Mall.</b>mbvdnonadultnonadultA bomb squad on Sunday successfully destroyed a pressure cooker that was located in a "suspicious" car close to the Capitol in Washington, D.C., said a U.S. Capitol Police spokeswoman, <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ed674466763e430a9c63c5b677e627f4/police-bomb-squad-checks-suspicious-vehicle-near-capitol">according</a> to the Associated Press.
The automobile was empty and left on the National Mall, Police Lt. Kimberly Schneider told the Associated Press. She said Capitol Police officers spotted the car around 5 p.m.
Schneider said that an odor of gasoline was detected along with a pressure cooker. She said the bomb squad was called because the automobile was "suspicious in nature."nonadultThe area along 3rd Street between Independence Avenue and Constitution Avenue was temporarily closed off while the bomb squad investigated on Sunday.nonadultThe area was closed off while the bomb squad known as the Hazardous Devices Section destroyed "items of concern in the vehicle including the pressure cooker."
She also told the AP that this included a controlled detonation of the items. A loud bang was heard around 7:45 p.m., <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/25/us/bomb-squad-destroys-pressure-cooker-near-capitol.html?partner=socialflow&amp;smid=tw-nytimes">according</a> to the <i>New York Times</i>.
Nearby, a Memorial Day concert was held on Capitol west lawn, starring Gloria Estefan, with hundreds of people in attendance, FOX 5 DC <a href="http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/29146809/police-bomb-squad-checks-suspicious-vehicle-near-capitol">reported</a>.
The owner of the car was found and Schneider identified him as Israel Shimeles of Alexandria, Virginia. He was arrested by Capitol Police and charged with "Operating After Revocation."
Pressure cookers are used to make explosive devices and were used in the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings that killed three and wounded 260 people.nonadultThree In New York Charged With Terrorismhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/nicolasmedinamora/arrests-in-new-york-on-terrorism-charges?utm_term=4ldqpia
Two Queens roommates allegedly had several propane gas canisters and instructions on how to turn them into bombs. A third man is being charged with providing support for terrorists seeking to kill U.S. citizens abroad.

In this courtroom sketch, defendants Noelle Velentzas, center left, and Asia Siddiqui, center right, appear in federal court with their attorneys on Thursday.

Jane Rosenberg / AP

The complaints named the three suspects as 28-year-old Noelle Velentzas, 31-year-old Asia Siddiqui, and Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh.

The first two defendants shared an apartment in Queens and are being charged with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction on U.S. soil. The third defendant, who was recently deported to the U.S. from Pakistan, is being charged in a separate case with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists seeking to kill U.S. citizens abroad.

The two cases are being prosecuted by Loretta Lynch, the U.S. District Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and President Obama's nominee for U.S Attorney General.

"We are committed to doing everything in our ability to detect, disrupt, and deter attacks by homegrown violent extremists," Lynch said in a statement. "We remain firm in our resolve to hold accountable anyone who would seek to terrorize the American people, whether by traveling abroad to commit attacks overseas or by plotting here at home."

Carlo Allegri / Reuters

Siddiqui allegedly had "multiple" propane gas tanks as well as instructions on how to turn them into bombs.

The women had been in contact with an undercover officer and informed them of their plans, according to the criminal complaint.

Authorities allege that Velentzas has "violent jihadist beliefs" and had expressed an interest in "terrorist attacks in the United States" while meeting with the officer in 2013.

She also allegedly expressed happiness about the Sept. 11 attacks and named Osama bin Laden as her hero. Velentzas also had a picture of bin Laden holding a gun as the background on her phone, the complaint said.

The complaint said Velentzas was also interested in pressure cookers after the Boston Marathon bombing and had discussed learning how to take a police officer's weapon from them.

"You can find a lot of things [in the pressure cooker], even if it's not food," Velentzas allegedly told a undercover officer, according to the complaint. She then allegedly pointed to "a thick rope and an axe in the vicinity of the pressure cooker."

The complaint also accused Siddiqui of violent jihadist beliefs, and said she had been in contact with members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP.

Through this correspondence, Siddiqui allegedly became close with Samir Khan. Khan was a prominent member of AQAP who was killed in 2011, and the author of an English language manual called "Make A Bomb In the Kitchen Of Your Mom."

In 2009, Siddiqui published a poem in an al-Qaeda publication linked to Khan, the complaint said. In the poem, Siddiqui wrote she hits "cloud nine with the smell of turpentine, nations wiped lean of fifty shrines."

In 2011, Siddiqui allegedly sent a letter of support to Mohammad Mohamud, who was arrested a year earlier after he tried to detonate a bomb in a Christmas-tree lightning ceremony in Oregon. Siddiqui's name or address did not appear in the letter, but the FBI believes the woman was behind it because the return address is "associated with York College, Siddiqui's alma mater."

The two women allegedly conspired together to learn "science" to construct a bomb that could be detonated in the U.S.

The women frequently discussed these plans in hours of conversations recorded by the undercover officer, authorities said.

They allegedly spent a significant amount of time researching the plans and allegedly spent a significant amount of time watching ISIS propaganda videos online.

At one point, the undercover officer allegedly asked Velentzas, "we read chemistry books with breakfast. Like, who does that?"

"People who want to make history," Velentzas allegedly replied.

According to a criminal complaint, Farkh arrived in Pakistan in 2007. There, he allegedly provided weapons and training to three members of al-Qaeda who intended to commit a suicide attack on the New York City subway system, the complaint said.

Read the complaint here:

]]>Nicol&aacute;s Medina Morahttps://www.buzzfeed.com/nicolasmedinamora/arrests-in-new-york-on-terrorism-chargesThu, 02 Apr 2015 13:11:52 -0400<b>Two Queens roommates allegedly had several propane gas canisters and instructions on how to turn them into bombs.</b> A third man is being charged with providing support for terrorists seeking to kill U.S. citizens abroad.nicolasmedinamoranonadultIn this courtroom sketch, defendants Noelle Velentzas, center left, and Asia Siddiqui, center right, appear in federal court with their attorneys on Thursday.nonadultThe complaints named the three suspects as 28-year-old Noelle Velentzas, 31-year-old Asia Siddiqui, and Muhanad Mahmoud Al Farekh.
The first two defendants shared an apartment in Queens and are being charged with conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction on U.S. soil. The third defendant, who was recently deported to the U.S. from Pakistan, is being charged in a separate case with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists seeking to kill U.S. citizens abroad.
The two cases are being prosecuted by Loretta Lynch, the U.S. District Attorney for the Eastern District of New York and President Obama's nominee for U.S Attorney General.
"We are committed to doing everything in our ability to detect, disrupt, and deter attacks by homegrown violent extremists," Lynch said in a statement. "We remain firm in our resolve to hold accountable anyone who would seek to terrorize the American people, whether by traveling abroad to commit attacks overseas or by plotting here at home."nonadultnonadultSiddiqui allegedly had "multiple" propane gas tanks as well as instructions on how to turn them into bombs.
The women had been in contact with an undercover officer and informed them of their plans, according to the criminal complaint.
Authorities allege that Velentzas has "violent jihadist beliefs" and had expressed an interest in "terrorist attacks in the United States" while meeting with the officer in 2013.
She also allegedly expressed happiness about the Sept. 11 attacks and named Osama bin Laden as her hero. Velentzas also had a picture of bin Laden holding a gun as the background on her phone, the complaint said.
The complaint said Velentzas was also interested in pressure cookers after the Boston Marathon bombing and had discussed learning how to take a police officer's weapon from them.
"You can find a lot of things [in the pressure cooker], even if it's not food," Velentzas allegedly told a undercover officer, according to the complaint. She then allegedly pointed to "a thick rope and an axe in the vicinity of the pressure cooker."
The complaint also accused Siddiqui of violent jihadist beliefs, and said she had been in contact with members of Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP.
Through this correspondence, Siddiqui allegedly became close with Samir Khan. Khan was a prominent member of AQAP who was killed in 2011, and the author of an English language manual called "Make A Bomb In the Kitchen Of Your Mom."
In 2009, Siddiqui published a poem in an al-Qaeda publication linked to Khan, the complaint said. In the poem, Siddiqui wrote she hits "cloud nine with the smell of turpentine, nations wiped lean of fifty shrines."
In 2011, Siddiqui allegedly sent a letter of support to Mohammad Mohamud, who was arrested a year earlier after he tried to detonate a bomb in a Christmas-tree lightning ceremony in Oregon. Siddiqui's name or address did not appear in the letter, but the FBI believes the woman was behind it because the return address is "associated with York College, Siddiqui's alma mater."
The two women allegedly conspired together to learn "science" to construct a bomb that could be detonated in the U.S.
The women frequently discussed these plans in hours of conversations recorded by the undercover officer, authorities said.
They allegedly spent a significant amount of time researching the plans and allegedly spent a significant amount of time watching ISIS propaganda videos online.
At one point, the undercover officer allegedly asked Velentzas, "we read chemistry books with breakfast. Like, who does that?"
"People who want to make history," Velentzas allegedly replied.nonadultAccording to a criminal complaint, Farkh arrived in Pakistan in 2007. There, he allegedly provided weapons and training to three members of al-Qaeda who intended to commit a suicide attack on the New York City subway system, the complaint said.nonadultnonadult<i>This is a developing story. Check back soon and follow <a href="https://twitter.com/BuzzFeedNews">BuzzFeed News on Twitter</a> for more updates.</i>nonadultNoelle Velentzas and Asia Siddiqui were charged with aiding al-Qaeda. An earlier version of this post incorrectly said they were charged with trying to join ISIS.nonadultAt Least Two Killed As Bomb Targets Ukrainian Revolution Paradehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/ukraine-blast-kharkiv?utm_term=4ldqpia
Footage from the scene shows people scrambling to run away from the explosion in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.

AP Photo/Andriy Marienko

The attack came as people marched through a street to mark one year since former president Viktor Yanukovych was toppled from power, sparking a bloody civil war in the country in which Russian-backed rebels have claimed autonomy over swathes of Ukraine's east.

Among those killed was a police officer, according to Ukraine's interior ministry, while more than 10 other people were injured.

Officials said the explosive device may have been thrown from a car.

Government figures say four people have already been detained over the attack, according to the BBC.

REUTERS/Stanislav Belousov

Ukrainian flags, waved proudly by demonstrators just moments before the attack, were later draped over the bodies of the victims.

Stanislav Belousov / Reuters

These two YouTube clips show the moment of the blast and its chaotic aftermath. WARNING: Graphic footage.

A loud blast can be heard in the video, followed by scenes of people running for their lives.

]]>David Mackhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/ukraine-blast-kharkivSun, 22 Feb 2015 11:21:27 -0500<b>Footage from the scene shows people scrambling to run away from the explosion in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city.</b>davidmacknonadultnonadultnonadultThe attack came as people marched through a street to mark one year since former president Viktor Yanukovych was toppled from power, sparking a bloody civil war in the country in which Russian-backed rebels have claimed autonomy over swathes of Ukraine's east.
Among those killed was a police officer, according to Ukraine's interior ministry, while more than 10 other people were injured.
Officials said the explosive device may have been thrown from a car.
Government figures say four people have already been detained over the attack, according to the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-31575384">BBC</a>.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadult<blockquote class="tweet"><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B-cyWn1CQAAttv-.jpg"><a><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/559049235904344064/oAPU_Lvh_normal.jpeg">EuroMaidan PR@EuromaidanPR</a><a>Follow</a><p class="tweet_text entry-title">Despite the tragedy commemoration rally in #Kharkiv went on. Ppl kneel paying tribute to Heaven's Hundred @StudMedia</p><a>10:18 AM - 22 Feb 15</a><a>Reply</a><a>Retweet</a><a>Favorite</a></blockquote>nonadultMan Charged After Bomb Threat Attack On Michigan Coast Guard Stationhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/grand-haven-coast-guard?utm_term=4ldqpia
The coast guard station in Grand Haven was evacuated after a man allegedly made a bomb threat, then rammed the building with his truck. The incident was initially investigated as “an act of domestic terrorism.”

A man was charged on Monday after he allegedly drove his truck through the gate of the coast guard station in Grand Haven, Michigan, early Sunday morning, shortly after a bomb threat was made, officials said.

Google Maps

Matthew L. Krueger

Ottawa County Sherrif's Department

"The incident was initially investigated as a potential act of domestic terrorism due to the circumstances," Grand Haven Director of Public Safety told BuzzFeed News in a statement on Sunday afternoon.

"No explosive device was located and the Coast Guard Station building has been deemed safe," Hawke said.

Shortly after 6 a.m. ET on Sunday, dispatch officials notified the command center at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan of a telephone call from a man threatening to blow up the Grand Haven station with a bomb in his truck, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a news release.

Google Maps

As personnel from the station and sector field office were evacuating, Krueger allegedly drove his truck through the gate of the station and broke into the building, before being detained by staff.

"When he gained access to the station after driving through the gate he was confronted by the station personnel and then detained and handed over to the Grand Haven police," Petty Officer Third Class Christopher Yaw, a spokesperson for the Ninth Coast Guard District, told BuzzFeed News.

No one was injured in the incident, Yaw said.

Police shut down the street and surrounding area, while the bomb squad traveled from Lansing to check for explosives, he said.

]]>David Mackhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/grand-haven-coast-guardSun, 08 Feb 2015 10:47:28 -0500<b>The coast guard station in Grand Haven was evacuated after a man allegedly made a bomb threat, then rammed the building with his truck.</b> The incident was initially investigated as "an act of domestic terrorism."davidmacknonadultnonadultnonadultMatthew L. Kruegernonadult"The incident was initially investigated as a potential act of domestic terrorism due to the circumstances," Grand Haven Director of Public Safety told BuzzFeed News in a statement on Sunday afternoon.
"No explosive device was located and the Coast Guard Station building has been deemed safe," Hawke said.
Shortly after 6 a.m. ET on Sunday, dispatch officials notified the command center at Coast Guard Sector Lake Michigan of a telephone call from a man threatening to blow up the Grand Haven station with a bomb in his truck, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a <a href="http://d9.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/2459274/">news release</a>.nonadultnonadultAs personnel from the station and sector field office were evacuating, Krueger allegedly drove his truck through the gate of the station and broke into the building, before being detained by staff.
"When he gained access to the station after driving through the gate he was confronted by the station personnel and then detained and handed over to the Grand Haven police," Petty Officer Third Class Christopher Yaw, a spokesperson for the Ninth Coast Guard District, told BuzzFeed News.
No one was injured in the incident, Yaw said.
Police shut down the street and surrounding area, while the bomb squad traveled from Lansing to check for explosives, he said.nonadult<blockquote class="tweet"><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9VbZr4CUAEG9cm.jpg"><a><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/3123305447/914d672351f96b5a307658b4232562e9_normal.jpeg">Chris Koops@chriskoops</a><a>Follow</a><p class="tweet_text entry-title">Suspect's truck in Grand Haven. @FOX17</p><a>11:16 AM - 08 Feb 15</a><a>Reply</a><a>Retweet</a><a>Favorite</a></blockquote>nonadult<blockquote class="tweet"><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9VHy91CQAAlSNV.jpg"><a><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/2730729577/b8f481514d04b9742e99396de9d10fcd_normal.jpeg">Sarah Sell@sfsell</a><a>Follow</a><p class="tweet_text entry-title">Just looked out the window of hotel and saw this in GH. Coast Guard station was attacked. Harbor drive closed.</p><a>9:51 AM - 08 Feb 15</a><a>Reply</a><a>Retweet</a><a>Favorite</a></blockquote>nonadult<blockquote class="tweet"><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B9Va6XeCMAAC-hP.jpg"><a><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/3123305447/914d672351f96b5a307658b4232562e9_normal.jpeg">Chris Koops@chriskoops</a><a>Follow</a><p class="tweet_text entry-title">aerial pic shows suspect's truck behind Grand Haven Coast Guard Station. Truck crashed through gates. @FOX17</p><a>11:14 AM - 08 Feb 15</a><a>Reply</a><a>Retweet</a><a>Favorite</a></blockquote>nonadultU.S. And Israel Teamed Up To Assassinate Hezbollah Chief With A Tire Bombhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/this-is-how-the-us-blew-up-a-terrorist-with-a-ti?utm_term=4ldqpia
Imad Mughniyah was the head of Hezbollah’s international operations and had been hunted for decades. In 2008, he approached an SUV and a bomb went off.

Undated portrait of slain Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyah.

Mohamed Azakir / Reuters

Imad Mughniyah was the head of Hezbollah's international operations and had been hunted for decades. On Feb. 12, 2008, as he walked away from a Damascus restaurant and approached an SUV, a bomb went off. According to reports that followed his death, the blast incinerated him.

The new report from The Post cites five unnamed U.S. officials who say the CIA helped orchestrate that blast.

The report explains that the bomb had been planted in a spare tire. Mossad agents in Tel Aviv triggered the explosion, which sent shrapnel in a tight radius that was designed to eliminate collateral damage, the Post reported.

The U.S., however, spent months working with Mossad, Israel's spy agency, to monitor Mughniyah and figure out where to plant the bomb. When the time finally came to take action, the CIA actually built and tested the explosive device to make sure it worked.

"We probably blew up 25 bombs to make sure we got it right," an unnamed official told the Post. American officials also reportedly had the authority to call off the operation.

According to the newspaper, the operation was approved by an array of U.S. officials including the attorney general, director of national intelligence, and a member of the Justice Department. President George W. Bush may also have signed off on the action.

The U.S. has never official acknowledged it's role in Mughniyah's killing.

The Hezbollah chief was responsible for bombings of U.S. embassies that date back to the early 1980s. Officials also say Mughniyah was responsible for the kidnapping of a U.S. Marine colonel in 1989. Mughniyah's terror attacks continued through the 1990s and according to the Post he was ultimately implicated in the deaths of hundreds of U.S. citizens.

]]>Jim Dalrymple IIhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/this-is-how-the-us-blew-up-a-terrorist-with-a-tiSat, 31 Jan 2015 00:35:06 -0500<b>Imad Mughniyah was the head of Hezbollah’s international operations and had been hunted for decades.</b> In 2008, he approached an SUV and a bomb went off.jimdalrympleiinonadultUndated portrait of slain Hezbollah leader Imad Mughniyah.nonadultImad Mughniyah was the head of Hezbollah's international operations and had been hunted for decades. On Feb. 12, 2008, as he walked away from a Damascus restaurant and approached an SUV, a bomb went off. According to <a href="http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-mysteryman31-2008aug31-story.html#page=1">reports</a> that followed his death, the blast incinerated him.
The new report from <i>The Post</i> cites five unnamed U.S. officials who say the CIA helped orchestrate that blast.
The report explains that the bomb had been planted in a spare tire. Mossad agents in Tel Aviv triggered the explosion, which sent shrapnel in a tight radius that was designed to eliminate collateral damage, the <i>Post</i> reported.
The U.S., however, spent months working with Mossad, Israel's spy agency, to monitor Mughniyah and figure out where to plant the bomb. When the time finally came to take action, the CIA actually built and tested the explosive device to make sure it worked.
"We probably blew up 25 bombs to make sure we got it right," an unnamed official told the <i>Post</i>. American officials also reportedly had the authority to call off the operation.
According to the newspaper, the operation was approved by an array of U.S. officials including the attorney general, director of national intelligence, and a member of the Justice Department. President George W. Bush may also have signed off on the action.
The U.S. has never official acknowledged it's role in Mughniyah's killing.
The Hezbollah chief was responsible for bombings of U.S. embassies that date back to the early 1980s. Officials also say Mughniyah was responsible for the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/01/world/group-beirut-says-it-hanged-us-colonel-2d-threat-issued-bush-convenes-security.html">kidnapping</a> of a U.S. Marine colonel in 1989. Mughniyah's terror attacks continued through the 1990s and according to the <i>Post</i> he was ultimately implicated in the deaths of hundreds of U.S. citizens.nonadultThis "Millionaire Hot Seat" Contestant Hilariously Fails On Her First Questionhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/nicholaswray/hot-seat-fail?utm_term=4ldqpia
At least she got a free packet of Burger Rings.

Whitney Beseler appeared on the Millionaire Hot Seat this past week and stumbled on her very first question.

When asked which of these four rings was NOT a piece worn to symbolise a relationship between two people she picked anniversary ring...instead of a burger ring.

Nine Network

Even Eddie could not believe it.

Nine Network

But it was too late — she missed out on the chance to win $100.

Nine Network

Poor Whitney.

Nine Network

But she didn't walk away completely empty-handed: She got a packet of Burger Rings as a consolation prize.

Nine Network

]]>Nick Wrayhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/nicholaswray/hot-seat-failWed, 17 Dec 2014 00:02:47 -0500<b>At least she got a free packet of Burger Rings.</b>nicholaswraynonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultAmerican Man Arrested In Israel Over Alleged Plot To Bomb Muslim Holy Siteshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/american-man-charged-israel-plot-bomb-muslim-holy-sites?utm_term=4ldqpia
U.S. fugitive Adam Everett Livvix is accused of acquiring explosive bricks and stun grenades as part of the alleged plot, according to the Jerusalem Post.

An American man wanted in the U.S. on drugs charges had been arrested in Israel, charged with an alleged plot to attack Muslim holy sites, the Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday.

Adam Everett Livvix, 30, was arrested by Israeli police on Nov. 19 after entering the country illegally from Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank. Israel's Justice Ministry says Livvix is from Texas.

According to a copy of the indictment obtained by the newspaper, Livvix had recently "told his acquaintances in Israel about his negative opinions towards the Arab population in Israel and his desire to cause harm to Islamic holy sites in Israel."

He is said to have tried to pass himself off as a U.S. Navy SEAL while in Israel.

In October, Livvix allegedly conspired with his roommate, an Israeli Defense Force soldier who holds American citizenship, to acquire weapons, including three pounds of explosive bricks.

During his time in the West Bank, Livvix was also said to have been approached by a Palestinian operative who sought his help in assassinating President Barack Obama — an offer Livvix refused.

Israeli authorities have announced their investigation into Livvix is being carried out in conjunction the FBI.

]]>David Mackhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/american-man-charged-israel-plot-bomb-muslim-holy-sitesTue, 09 Dec 2014 12:16:46 -0500<b>U.S. fugitive Adam Everett Livvix is accused of acquiring explosive bricks and stun grenades as part of the alleged plot, according to the <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-arrests-US-fugitive-who-allegedly-planned-to-bomb-Muslim-holy-sites-384137"><i>Jerusalem Post</i></a>.</b>davidmacknonadultnonadultAn American man wanted in the U.S. on drugs charges had been arrested in Israel, charged with an alleged plot to attack Muslim holy sites, the <a href="http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Israel-arrests-US-fugitive-who-allegedly-planned-to-bomb-Muslim-holy-sites-384137"><i>Jerusalem Post</i></a> reported Tuesday.
Adam Everett Livvix, 30, was arrested by Israeli police on Nov. 19 after entering the country illegally from Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank. Israel's Justice Ministry says Livvix is from Texas.
According to a copy of the indictment obtained by the newspaper, Livvix had recently "told his acquaintances in Israel about his negative opinions towards the Arab population in Israel and his desire to cause harm to Islamic holy sites in Israel."
He is said to have tried to pass himself off as a U.S. Navy SEAL while in Israel.
In October, Livvix allegedly conspired with his roommate, an Israeli Defense Force soldier who holds American citizenship, to acquire weapons, including three pounds of explosive bricks.
During his time in the West Bank, Livvix was also said to have been approached by a Palestinian operative who sought his help in assassinating President Barack Obama &mdash; an offer Livvix refused.
Israeli authorities have announced their investigation into Livvix is being carried out in conjunction the FBI.nonadultWe Found A Bomb Defusal Game That Requires Teamwork, Then Had Couples Try It Outhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jeffrubin/we-found-a-bomb-defusal-game-that-requires-teamwork-then-had?utm_term=4ldqpia
Could your significant other talk you through defusing a bomb?

]]>Jeff Rubinhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/jeffrubin/we-found-a-bomb-defusal-game-that-requires-teamwork-then-hadFri, 28 Nov 2014 14:07:26 -0500<b>Could your significant other talk you through defusing a bomb?</b>jeffrubinnonadult18 Secrets People Who Are In A Doomed Relationship Won't Tell Youhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/norbertobriceno/the-end-is-near
You had a good run. But it’s probably best to drop it.

When you go out to dinner, you spend your time staring at other things, rather than staring into their eyes.

Universal Pictures

When your S.O. talks to you, you can hear them, but you don't listen to them.

You nod your head even though you're processing absolutely nothing.

20th Century Fox

When you're with your S.O., you go to the bathroom more frequently because you cherish your alone time.

]]>Nick Kubinskihttps://www.buzzfeed.com/nickkubinski/13-thoughts-to-nuke-your-brainSun, 24 Aug 2014 14:49:38 -0400<b>Prepare yourself for a fact blitzkrieg!</b>nickkubinskinonadultThe Last Words of 11 People Killed By Policehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/keithhabersberger/this-powerful-video-shows-the-last-words-of-11-minorities-ki
Eleven lives that were cut short for no good reason.

]]>Keith Habersbergerhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/keithhabersberger/this-powerful-video-shows-the-last-words-of-11-minorities-kiFri, 22 Aug 2014 19:56:56 -0400<b>Eleven lives that were cut short for no good reason.</b>keithhabersbergernonadultnonadultFor more like this, <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/annmariealcantara/these-images-of-victims-last-words-are-incredibly-powerful">head over here.</a>nonadultWhat It’s Like Reporting In Fergusonhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/keithhabersberger/what-its-like-reporting-in-ferguson
“I didn’t feel safe anywhere.”

One of Gaza's leading bomb disposal experts and a video journalist working for the Associated Press were among five people killed in an explosion Wednesday in Gaza.

Hazem Abu Murad, 39, and Simone Camilli, 35, died as Palestinian police engineers were attempting to disarm some unexploded ordnance in the town of Beit Lahiya.

Murad was known as the man in Gaza to call if a bomb fell in your yard. He spent the last 15 years working as head of Gaza's bomb dispersal unit, leading a team of 70 people in collecting thousands of tons of unexploded ordinances that amassed in Gaza during the three wars fought over the last seven years.

His team worked with no protective gear, no portable scanning machines, and none of the robots used by bomb dispersal units in the West. A few days ago, in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, Murad said there were more than 1,000 unexploded ordinances in Gaza. As the head of the team, Murad had the most expertise in diffusing them.

"There is one minute between life and death," Murad told the Australian newspaper. "If I move my fingers two millimeters the wrong way, I am gone."

Camilli and his translator, Ali Shehda Abu Afash, were both killed in the explosion, according to the AP. Gaza police said four others were seriously injured, among them AP photographer Hatem Moussa.

Najib Jobain, the news agency's chief producer in Gaza, said Camilli was so keen to keep reporting on Gaza that he recently turned down an assignment in Iraq. "He was my brother," he said. "I have known him for almost 10 years. He was so happy to be with me working in Gaza. He was asked, 'Do you want to go to Irbil or Gaza?' He said, 'I'll go to Gaza.'"

Camilli, who was born in Italy, had worked for the AP since 2005. He is the first foreign journalist to be killed in the latest Gaza conflict, which saw more than 1,900 Palestinians and 67 Israelis killed in nearly a month of fighting.

]]>BuzzFeed Worldhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/buzzfeedworld/bomb-disposal-expert-and-ap-journalist-killed-in-gaza-explosWed, 13 Aug 2014 09:22:16 -0400<b>Hazem Abu Murad and Simone Camilli among five who died when police engineers were attempting to disarm unexploded ordnance.</b>buzzfeedworldnonadultAssociated Press video journalist Simone Camilli on a balcony overlooking smoke from Israeli strikes in Gaza City.nonadultOne of Gaza's leading bomb disposal experts and a video journalist working for the Associated Press were among five people killed in an explosion Wednesday in Gaza.
Hazem Abu Murad, 39, and Simone Camilli, 35, died as Palestinian police engineers were attempting to disarm some unexploded ordnance in the town of Beit Lahiya.
Murad was known as the man in Gaza to call if a bomb fell in your yard. He spent the last 15 years working as head of Gaza&#39;s bomb dispersal unit, leading a team of 70 people in collecting thousands of tons of unexploded ordinances that amassed in Gaza during the three wars fought over the last seven years.
His team worked with no protective gear, no portable scanning machines, and none of the robots used by bomb dispersal units in the West. A few days ago, in <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/world/gaza-team-defuses-live-bombs-and-shells-without-protective-suits-20140808-101qme.html#ixzz3AH1dVJhf">an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald</a>, Murad said there were more than 1,000 unexploded ordinances in Gaza. As the head of the team, Murad had the most expertise in diffusing them.
"There is one minute between life and death," Murad told the Australian newspaper. "If I move my fingers two millimeters the wrong way, I am gone."
Camilli and his translator, Ali Shehda Abu Afash, were both killed in the explosion, <a href="http://www.bigstory.ap.org/article/ap-video-journalist-killed-gaza">according to the AP</a>. Gaza police said four others were seriously injured, among them AP photographer Hatem Moussa.
Najib Jobain, the news agency&#39;s chief producer in Gaza, said Camilli was so keen to keep reporting on Gaza that he recently turned down an assignment in Iraq. "He was my brother," he said. "I have known him for almost 10 years. He was so happy to be with me working in Gaza. He was asked, &#39;Do you want to go to Irbil or Gaza?&#39; He said, &#39;I&#39;ll go to Gaza.&#39;"
Camilli, who was born in Italy, had worked for the AP since 2005. He is the first foreign journalist to be killed in the latest Gaza conflict, which saw more than 1,900 Palestinians and 67 Israelis killed in nearly a month of fighting.nonadult<blockquote class="tweet"><img src=""><a class="screen-name url"><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1651892559/IMG_0044_normal.JPG">Sheera Frenkel@sheeraf</a><a class="follow">Follow</a><p class="tweet_text entry-title">AP now confirming that Simone Camilli was killed this morning in Gaza. He was brave, kind-hearted &amp; generous to everyone.</p><a class="view-details">12:35 PM - 13 Aug 14</a><a class="reply-action twt-intent">Reply</a><a class="retweet-action twt-intent">Retweet</a><a class="favorite-action twt-intent">Favorite</a></blockquote>nonadult<blockquote class="tweet"><img src=""><a class="screen-name url"><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/476896623751360512/X_PBJHhG_normal.jpeg">Jon Williams@WilliamsJon</a><a class="follow">Follow</a><p class="tweet_text entry-title">Our friends at AP confirm their reporter killed in #Gaza. Italian foreign ministry name him as Simone Camilli. Thoughts with all @AP. Tragic</p><a class="view-details">12:22 PM - 13 Aug 14</a><a class="reply-action twt-intent">Reply</a><a class="retweet-action twt-intent">Retweet</a><a class="favorite-action twt-intent">Favorite</a></blockquote>nonadult<blockquote class="tweet"><img src=""><a class="screen-name url"><img src="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/448685361406152704/DonSGmLh_normal.jpeg">Hugh Naylor@HughNaylor</a><a class="follow">Follow</a><p class="tweet_text entry-title">Sad to learn Hazem Abu Murad, who I interviewed for this story, was killed while dismantling unexploded Israeli bomb http://t.co/IXbk8ZoxZi</p><a class="view-details">11:31 AM - 13 Aug 14</a><a class="reply-action twt-intent">Reply</a><a class="retweet-action twt-intent">Retweet</a><a class="favorite-action twt-intent">Favorite</a></blockquote>nonadultPowerful Boston Marathon #WeWillRun Video Shines Light On The Resilience Of The Cityhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/maycie/powerful-boston-marathon-wewillrun-video-shines-light-on-the
Goosebumps.

"On the third Monday in April, the world will return to this great American city to run harder than ever, and to cheer even louder, for the 118th Boston Marathon. Bet on it."

]]>Maycie Thorntonhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/maycie/powerful-boston-marathon-wewillrun-video-shines-light-on-theFri, 04 Apr 2014 14:58:11 -0400<b>Goosebumps.</b>maycienonadultPowerful Explosion Hits Beirut Suburbhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/powerful-explosion-hits-beirut-suburb
UPDATE: Five people are reported dead and more than 50 are injured after a large explosion Thursday in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.

The explosion hit a densely populated neighborhood in southern Beirut, Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reports. The area is said to be a stronghold of Hezbollah, the Shiite militant group.

A man holds a rifle at the site of an explosion.

]]>Mike Hayeshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/powerful-explosion-hits-beirut-suburbThu, 02 Jan 2014 10:09:03 -0500<b>UPDATE: Five people are reported dead and more than 50 are injured after a large explosion Thursday in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.</b>mikehayesnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultReport: U.S. Narrowly Escaped Nuclear Disaster In 1961https://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelzarrell/us-narrowly-escaped-nuclear-disaster-in-1961
That was a close one.

A hydrogen bomb 260 times more powerful than the device that leveled Hiroshima was nearly detonated on America's east coast, a new book says.

A recently declassified document reveals it was just a simple switch that prevented complete nuclear catastrophe in North America, said Eric Schlosser, author of "Command and Control."

It was on Jan. 24, 1961 that a B-52 bomber broke up mid-flight, accidentally dropping two hydrogen bombs over Goldsboro, N.C.

"One simple, dynamo-technology, low voltage switch stood between the United States and a major catastrophe!" wrote Parker F. Jones, the supervisor of the nuclear weapons safety department at Sandia national laboratories who analyzed the near-catastrophe in a 1969 document titled, "How I learned to mistrust the H-Bomb."

And that's not the lone close-call: Using the Freedom of Information Act, Schlosser discovered that there were at least 700 "significant" accidents and incidents involving 1,250 nuclear weapons between 1950 and 1968.

]]>Rachel Zarrellhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/rachelzarrell/us-narrowly-escaped-nuclear-disaster-in-1961Sat, 21 Sep 2013 14:08:21 -0400<b>That was a close one.</b>rachelzarrellnonadultnonadultA hydrogen bomb 260 times more powerful than the device that leveled Hiroshima was nearly detonated on America's east coast, <a href="http://bigstory.ap.org/article/report-us-came-close-nuclear-disaster-1961">a new book says</a>.
A recently declassified document reveals it was just a simple switch that prevented complete nuclear catastrophe in North America, said Eric Schlosser, author of "Command and Control."
It was on Jan. 24, 1961 that a B-52 bomber broke up mid-flight, accidentally dropping two hydrogen bombs over Goldsboro, N.C.
"One simple, dynamo-technology, low voltage switch stood between the United States and a major catastrophe!" wrote Parker F. Jones, the supervisor of the nuclear weapons safety department at Sandia national laboratories who analyzed the near-catastrophe in a 1969 document titled, "How I learned to mistrust the H-Bomb."
And that&#39;s not the lone close-call: Using the Freedom of Information Act, Schlosser discovered that there were at least 700 "significant" accidents and incidents involving 1,250 nuclear weapons between 1950 and 1968.nonadultThis Is What It Looks Like When A 2,000-Pound Smart Bomb Blows Up A Tiny Shiphttps://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonvingiano/heres-a-picture-of-a-20lb-bomb-blowing-up-a-tiny-ship
The U.S Air Force released photographs of a Sept. 4 bomb test in which a solo B-1B flew into this tiny pirate boat in the Gulf of Mexico. Because why not?

Now you see it.

Now you don't.

The test bombing is apparently meant to show that the bomber (a GBU-10 bomb dropped by a B-1) can be effectively deployed against small sea-borne surface targets, such as pirates, or other small moving objects.

It works!

]]>Ali Vingianohttps://www.buzzfeed.com/alisonvingiano/heres-a-picture-of-a-20lb-bomb-blowing-up-a-tiny-shipTue, 17 Sep 2013 17:49:44 -0400<b>The U.S Air Force released photographs of a Sept. 4 bomb test in which a solo B-1B flew into this tiny pirate boat in the Gulf of Mexico.</b> Because why not?alisonvingianononadultnonadultnonadultnonadultThe test bombing <a href="http://theaviationist.com/2013/09/17/gbu-10-boat/#.UjiyK2RgYi7">is apparently meant to show</a> that the bomber (a GBU-10 bomb dropped by a B-1) can be effectively deployed against small sea-borne surface targets, such as pirates, or other small moving objects.
A single GBU-10 bomb <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/09/17/the-air-force-blew-up-this-tiny-pirate-boat-with-a-2000-pound-smart-bomb-because-america/?Post+generic=%3Ftid%3Dsm_twitter_washingtonpost">costs $23,700</a>. The weapon was developed in the 1980s for the USA's Cold War needs, but was not used until 1998, when <a href="http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1998/12/16/transcripts/clinton.html">President Clinton issued a military strike in Iraq</a>.nonadultnonadultnonadultHow 8 Other Massive Manhunts Endedhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/how-8-other-massive-manhunts-ended
Not well for the one being hunted. WARNING: Graphic images.

FOUND: after a four-hour chase, hiding in a cabin in Angelus Oaks, California.

FATE: The cabin was set on fire by local law enforcement, and Dorner perished in the fire.

]]>Benny Johnsonhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/bennyjohnson/how-8-other-massive-manhunts-endedFri, 19 Apr 2013 17:47:49 -0400<b>Not well for the one being hunted.</b> <i>WARNING: Graphic images.</i>bennyjohnsonnonadultThis post has been corrected to remove phrasing that was copied from Wikipedia and the New York Times.
BuzzFeed takes its responsibility to readers very seriously, and plagiarism is a major breach of that responsibility. Please read our apology to readers <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/editors-note-an-apology-to-our-readers">here</a>.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultMay 1978 - April 1996nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultOct. 2 &ndash; Oct. 24, 2002nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultMarch 2003 &ndash; December 2003nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultSeptember 2001&ndash; March 2003nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultFebruary 2011 &ndash; October 2011nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultSeptember 2001 &ndash; May 2011nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultFeb. 3 &ndash; Feb. 12, 2013nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadult<a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mbvd/explosives-thrown-at-police-in-watertown-massachusetts">Check here for live updates as they are made available.</a>nonadultPhotos From The Scene Of The Boston Marathon Explosion (Extremely Graphic)https://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/first-photos-from-the-scene-of-the-boston-marathon-explosion
Photos are currently coming in from today’s explosion at the Boston Marathon. WARNING: Graphic images.

]]>Ryan Broderickhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/ryanhatesthis/first-photos-from-the-scene-of-the-boston-marathon-explosionMon, 15 Apr 2013 16:24:55 -0400<b>Photos are currently coming in from <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/jtes/reports-of-an-explosion-at-boston-marathon-finish-line">today&#39;s explosion at the Boston Marathon</a>.</b> <i>WARNING: Graphic images.</i>ryanhatesthisnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadult<p><img src="http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/3307056638/adb3f312dfa0ae2eb73be61584cc7582_normal.png">just evacuated by BPD. no subway. https://t.co/8trEaQzFVv-- Durkin</p>nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultSuicide Bomber Hits Afghan Defense Ministry As Hagel Visits Kabulhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelrusch/suicide-bomber-hits-afghan-defense-ministry-as-hagel-visits
Taliban claim responsibility: “This was not a direct attack to target him [Hagel] but we want to send a message that we are always capable of hitting Kabul.”

U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel steps off his helicopter with U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford, Commander of the International Security Force, upon Hagel's arrival near Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 8, 2013.

Pentagon spokesman George Little said the secretary was in a briefing at a U.S.-led military coalition facility in another part of the city when the explosion occurred. He said the briefing continued without interruption.

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said a bicycle bomber struck just before 9 a.m. local time about 30 meters (yards) from the main gate of the ministry.

]]>Michael Ruschhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/michaelrusch/suicide-bomber-hits-afghan-defense-ministry-as-hagel-visitsSat, 09 Mar 2013 02:02:14 -0500<b>Taliban claim responsibility: &ldquo;This was not a direct attack to target him [Hagel] but we want to send a message that we are always capable of hitting Kabul.&rdquo;</b>michaelruschnonadult<b>U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel steps off his helicopter with U.S. Marine General Joseph Dunford, Commander of the International Security Force, upon Hagel&#39;s arrival near Camp Eggers in Kabul, Afghanistan, March 8, 2013.</b>nonadult<blockquote>KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) -- A suicide attack outside the Afghan Defense Ministry on Saturday killed and wounded several civilians as U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel visited the Afghan capital of Kabul.
Pentagon spokesman George Little said the secretary was in a briefing at a U.S.-led military coalition facility in another part of the city when the explosion occurred. He said the briefing continued without interruption.
Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Gen. Mohammad Zahir Azimi said a bicycle bomber struck just before 9 a.m. local time about 30 meters (yards) from the main gate of the ministry.</blockquote>nonadult<p><img src="http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/1848193664/APLogo_normal.jpg">BREAKING: Official: Explosion outside Afghan defense ministry as US defense secretary visits country.-- The Associated Press</p>nonadult<p><img src="http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/3055835201/3b334384f97751c94f1e4d48f3686b29_normal.png">Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel is in safe location in Kabul as car bomb hits city, @DionNissenbaum reports-- BuzzFeed News</p>nonadult<p><img src="http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/3055835201/3b334384f97751c94f1e4d48f3686b29_normal.png">Taliban: â€œThis was not a direct attack to target him [Hagel] but we want to send a message that we are always capable of hitting Kabul.â€-- BuzzFeed News</p>nonadult<p><img src="http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/3043421997/bda4d70b6d137dee372c881d38ea430d_normal.jpeg">Kabul suicide bomber kills nine during Hagel visit, @AFP reports-- Michael Rusch</p>nonadult<p><img src="http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/3354410069/223a01ecee4a5d0471b03b666df740d3_normal.jpeg">#AFG Deputy police chief Khost " 1of our brave policemen hugged suicide attacker as soon as he saw him &amp;gave up his life 2save other lives.-- Bilal Sarwary</p>nonadult<b>Photos From The Scene:</b>nonadult<p><img src="http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/2958239001/cf7f8e9fb28964ac55e656190d55e016_normal.jpeg">#kabul bomb was relatively small -- MOD wall, while pockmarked w shrapnel, still standing http://t.co/133W7AWkXI-- Yaroslav Trofimov</p>nonadult<p><img src="http://a0.twimg.com/profile_images/3271726961/89dd738c07776cf38255c2ddee447ebe_normal.jpeg">#kabulAttack scene http://t.co/3jaAgt7tvw-- Sultan Faizy</p>nonadultSuicide Bomber At U.S. Embassy In Turkey Kills At Least Twohttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/suicide-bomber-at-us-embassy-in-turkey-kills-at
An attack on the United States embassy in Ankara, Turkey kills a guard and the bomber. NBC is reporting that three are now dead. No one has claimed responsibility, but Kurdish rebels and Islamic militants are active in Turkey.

A suspected suicide bomber detonated an explosive device at the entrance of the U.S. Embassy in the Turkish capital on Friday, killing himself and one other person, officials said.

AP / AP

U.S. Ambassador Francis Ricciardione told reporters that a guard at the gate was killed in the 1:15 p.m. blast, and a Turkish citizen was wounded. NBC has an unconfirmed report that a third person was killed.

The bomb appeared to have exploded inside the security checkpoint at the side entrance of the embassy, but did not do damage inside the embassy itself.

Burhan Ozbilici / AP

In a statement, the U.S. embassy thanked Turkey for "its solidarity and outrage over the incident."

Burhan Ozbilici / AP

There was no claim of responsibility, but Kurdish rebels and Islamic militants are active in Turkey.

Burhan Ozbilici / AP

Homegrown Islamic militants tied to al-Qaida have carried out suicide bombings in Istanbul.

IHA / AP

In a 2003 attack on the British consulate, a suspected Islamic militant rammed an explosives-laden pickup truck into the main gate, killing 58, including the British consul-general.

IHA / AP

In 2008, an attack blamed on al-Qaida-affiliated militants outside the U.S. Consulate in Istanbul left three assailants and three policemen dead.

Turkey in recent months has become a harsh critic of the regime in Syria, a possible motive for the attack.

Video From The Scene

]]>Gavon Laessighttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/suicide-bomber-at-us-embassy-in-turkey-kills-atFri, 01 Feb 2013 08:36:45 -0500<b>An attack on the United States embassy in Ankara, Turkey kills a guard and the bomber.</b> NBC is reporting that <a href="http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/01/16804949-police-sources-suicide-bomber-kills-at-least-3-at-us-embassy-compound-in-turkey?lite">three are now dead</a>. No one has claimed responsibility, but Kurdish rebels and Islamic militants are active in Turkey.gavonnonadultnonadultMore at <a href="http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/01/16804949-police-sources-suicide-bomber-kills-at-least-3-at-us-embassy-compound-in-turkey?lite">NBC</a>.nonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultnonadultAnderson Cooper Almost Got Shelled In Gaza Cityhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/dorsey/anderson-cooper-almost-got-shelled-in-gaza-city
America’s favorite cable-news hero handles the terrifying incident like a total pro, naturally.

]]>Dorsey Shawhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/dorsey/anderson-cooper-almost-got-shelled-in-gaza-cityMon, 19 Nov 2012 18:56:37 -0500<b>America&#39;s favorite <a href="http://images.yuku.com.s3.amazonaws.com/image/jpeg/30836db64ca179b4fbfefc27fd47fdf7c1d1d5e8.jpg">cable-news hero</a> handles the terrifying incident like a total pro, naturally.</b>dorseynonadultnonadultnonadultThe 12 Best Bibi And The Bomb Memeshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/bibi-and-the-bomb-memes-4xvn
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got the attention of the internet Thursday at the UN General Assembly when he pulled out a dramatic prop. (Not to be confused with Bibi-bombing.)

The original:

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu draws a red line on the graphic of a bomb used to represent Iran's nuclear program as he addresses the 67th United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, September 27, 2012. The red line he drew represents a point where he believes, the international community should tell Iran that they will not be allowed to pass without intervention.

]]>Ruby Cramerhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/rubycramer/bibi-and-the-bomb-memes-4xvnFri, 28 Sep 2012 10:36:22 -0400<b>Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu got the <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/bibi-and-bomb">attention</a> of the internet Thursday at the UN General Assembly when he pulled out a dramatic prop.</b> (Not to be confused with <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/bibi-bombing">Bibi-bombing</a>.)rubycramernonadultWWII Bomb Detonated In The Middle Of Munichhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/wwii-bomb-detonated-in-the-middle-of-munich
On purpose. Bomb experts were unable to diffuse the warhead and were forced to perform a controlled explosion.

This combination photo taken from a video shows the controlled detonation of the remains of a 550-pound World War II bomb in central Munich, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012.

Simon Aschenbrenner / AP

The World War II bomb was initially discovered on Monday, August 27th during demolition of a local bar. Overnight workers on the scene immediately called the local authorities and 2,500 residents were evacuated to a safe distance.

Experts were brought in to diffuse the 550 lbs. device but it proved too degraded to modify. In the end, the bomb crew decided to pack it with explosives and detonate in a controlled explosion rather than risk trying to move it and having it go off.

Journalists look at a blast site in the Schwabing residential area in downtown Munich August 29, 2012.

MICHAEL DALDER / Reuters

]]>Donna Dickenshttps://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/wwii-bomb-detonated-in-the-middle-of-munichWed, 29 Aug 2012 12:15:55 -0400<b>On purpose.</b> Bomb experts were unable to diffuse the warhead and were forced to perform a controlled explosion.donnadnonadultThis combination photo taken from a video shows the controlled detonation of the remains of a 550-pound World War II bomb in central Munich, Tuesday, Aug. 28, 2012.nonadultThe World War II bomb was initially discovered on Monday, August 27th during demolition of a local bar. Overnight workers on the scene immediately called the local authorities and 2,500 residents were evacuated to a safe distance.
Experts were brought in to diffuse the 550 lbs. device but it proved too degraded to modify. In the end, the bomb crew decided to pack it with explosives and detonate in a controlled explosion rather than risk trying to move it and having it go off.nonadultJournalists look at a blast site in the Schwabing residential area in downtown Munich August 29, 2012.nonadultMark Halperin's Joke Bombs On Morning Joehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/dorsey/mark-halperins-joke-bombs-on-morning-joe
Spoiler: Yes, Mark Halperin really told this joke on Morning Joe today. No, it didn’t bomb as hard as my selective editing makes it look here.
]]>Dorsey Shawhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/dorsey/mark-halperins-joke-bombs-on-morning-joeTue, 28 Aug 2012 13:44:18 -0400<b>Spoiler: Yes, Mark Halperin really told this joke on Morning Joe today. No, it didn&#39;t bomb as hard as my selective editing makes it look here.</b>dorseynonadultAverage Screening Of Miley's "LOL": Less Than Three PeopleEven before LOL hit theaters this weekend, people were preparing for a bomb. Lionsgate basically never gave it a chance.

]]>FilmDrunkWed, 09 May 2012 10:45:28 -0400<b>Even before <i>LOL</i> hit theaters this weekend, people were preparing for a bomb.</b> Lionsgate basically never gave it a chance.filmdrunknonadultThis Sex Bomb Is About To Explodehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/this-sex-bomb-is-about-to-explode
Take cover! Thank you, Femen, for producing the best photos of the day.

Activists of Ukrainian women's rights movement Femen enact a performance, condemning the April 27 bomb attacks in the city of Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine and criticizing security services' preparations for the Euro-2012 soccer championship, at an entrance to a metro station in Kiev May 3, 2012. A series of bomb blasts in Dnipropetrovsk injured 30 people, raising concerns about security at the football championship that Ukraine and Poland will host in June.

Gleb Garanich / Reuters

Gleb Garanich / Reuters

]]>Gavon Laessighttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/this-sex-bomb-is-about-to-explodeMon, 07 May 2012 15:57:42 -0400<b>Take cover!</b> Thank you, Femen, for producing the best photos of the day.gavonadultThese Are The Guys Who Were Arrested For Plotting To Blow Up A Bridge In Ohiohttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/these-are-the-guys-who-were-arrested-for-plotting
Terrorist masterminds or Occupy Wall Street rejects? These five suspects, arrested today by the FBI, are charged with conspiracy and attempted use of explosive materials. Here are their mugshots and the details of their case.

Brandon Baxter, 20

Brandon Baxter, Anthony Hayne and Douglas Wright were arrested today by federal agents in a sting operation and have been charged with conspiracy and trying to use explosives to damage property affecting interstate commerce. Connor Stevens and Joshua Stafford were also arrested, but have not yet been charged.

"The individuals charged in this plot were intent on using violence to express their ideological views," said Special Agent Stephen Anthony, who oversees the FBI's Cleveland division.

FBI / AP

Anthony Hayne, 35

Authorities allege the 5 men were plotting to blow up the Route 82 Brecksville-Northfield High Level Bridge, a four lane highway that crosses over part of the Cuyahoga National Park, about 15 miles south of Cleveland.

"The complaint in this case alleges that the defendants took specific and defined actions to further a terrorist plot," said Steven Dettelbach, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

FBI / AP

Douglas Wright, 26

The five suspects are self-identified anarchists and have affiliated themselves with the Occupy Cleveland movement. They came to the attention of agents when an unidentified informant noticed Wright, Baxter and Hayne acting strangely at an Occupy Cleveland protest in October. The source described them as wearing masks, talking on walkie talkies and openly discussing their disdain for peaceful protest.

Organizers of Occupy Cleveland have disavowed any connection with the suspects or their plot.

FBI / AP

Joshua Stafford, 23

The informant learned from the three men that they were planning a series of disruptive events in order to — according to the informant — "send a message to corporations." An early plot was to detonate smoke bombs on the busy Veterans Memorial Bridge in Cleveland. While police were distracted, the suspects would knock bank signs off of tall buildings.

Undercover FBI agents introduced themselves to the group, now joined by Wright and Stevens, and offered to assist them with obtaining material for their plots.

FBI / AP

Connor Stevens, 20

Eventually the group settled on simply blowing up a bridge and asked the undercover agents for plastic explosives. On Sunday, April 29th, the group paid agents $450 for what they believed were two homemade bombs. The bombs were in actuality duds.

All five men were arrested yesterday, April 30th, on what was going to be the day of their attack. The FBI does not believe the date of the attack was meant to coincide with the anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden.

Whether or not it was meant to coincide with the May Day and General Strike protests being planned by the Occupy movement on May 1st is still unknown.

FBI / AP

]]>Gavon Laessighttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/these-are-the-guys-who-were-arrested-for-plottingTue, 01 May 2012 19:35:55 -0400<b>Terrorist masterminds or Occupy Wall Street rejects?</b> These five suspects, arrested today by the FBI, are charged with conspiracy and attempted use of explosive materials. Here are their mugshots and the details of their case.gavonnonadultThe Dry Ice Condom Bombhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/the-dry-ice-condom-bomb
We had some extra dry ice in the office. And some extra condoms. And some extra glitter. We decided to combine all three. The result? A mess.

Because we always have dry ice, condoms and glitter in the office. Y'know...internet stuff.

We were inspired by a few videos on Youtube that made such a device, but we couldn't get it to explode without prodding and poking. Condoms, as you might hope, are very elastic and can stretch to insane proportions. Dry ice condom bombs aren't a very efficient means of prankster terrorism. Oh, and that's Dorsey Shaw with glitter shrapnel all up in his camera.

]]>Gavon Laessighttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/the-dry-ice-condom-bombThu, 06 Oct 2011 16:44:24 -0400<b>We had some extra dry ice in the office. And some extra condoms. And some extra glitter. We decided to combine all three.</b> The result? A mess.gavonnonadultAnders Breivik Returns To The Scene Of The Crimehttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/anders-breivik-returns-to-the-scene-of-the-crime

]]>Hot Listhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/hotlist/shooting-at-oslo-youth-camp-linked-to-bombing-repFri, 22 Jul 2011 15:53:35 -0400<b>A gunman dressed as a police officer opened fire on an island youth camp outside of Oslo, Norway shortly after the <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/stunning-photos-of-the-devastation-in-oslo-norway">devastating bombing</a> within the city.</b> The gunman has been apprehended and officials now say the attacks are linked. At least 80 are dead. <i>UPDATE: The suspect has been identified as <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/anders-behring-breivik-the-man-suspected-of-killi">Anders Behring Brevik</a>.</i>hotlistadult
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nonadultThe Situation's Banned Jokes, Presented By The Leprechaunhttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/the-situations-stand-up-presented-by-the-leprech

]]>Gavon Laessighttps://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/the-situations-stand-up-presented-by-the-leprechThu, 17 Mar 2011 16:35:50 -0400<b>The Situation&#39;s comedy routine at the roast of Donald Trump was instantly hailed the <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/the-situation-bombing-at-the-donald-trump-roast">worst thing ever</a>, but it somehow just got worse.</b> Comedy Central deemed a joke aimed at Snoop Dogg as too racist and cut it from the broadcast. Here is that joke, plus a few more offensive cracks at the expense of Marlee Matlin and Larry King that were omitted, as told by the The Leprechaun from "Leprechaun." Y&#39;know, because it&#39;s St. Patrick&#39;s Day. Shut up.gavonnonadult
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